A Phantom Thief
by mangaluva
Summary: A heist goes wrong, so badly wrong, and Kaito finds himself a ghost, but that won't stop him fighting, especially when he finds a new ally in a certain chibi-tantei who knows more about death than anyone had ever guessed... KaiShin eventually.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_**I See You**_

"Are you ready for this?" Shinichi asked, raising the jewel. "All of you. I mean, when this thing goes off, They'll be done- you'll all have to… go."

"I know," Elena said, touching her husband's hand. "We're ready. We know Shiho… is safe."

"Bring it on," Akai said, putting his arm around Akemi. "I've been waiting for this since that bastard Gin killed you…"

"You always were notable for your cheery demeanour," Akemi laughed.

"I'm ready," Toichi said. His hand hovered above his son's shoulder.

"Yeah," Kaito said, though his voice was rough. "You will…?"

"I'll… I'll be all right," Shinichi promised-_lied_- softly. Kaito swallowed hard, then nodded.

"Let's do this," he said. Shinichi gave him that disconcerting double stare for a long, uncomfortable moment, the silence only broken by the distant sounds of gunfire as one locked door after another was forced open. A last look, perhaps. Then he nodded, raising the Pandora to the moonlight.

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_Really short prologue… the first chapter will be familiar to those who voted on "The Back Burner". This will probably be a short fic, or short at least by the standards of my previous fic… XD_

_Also, partially because I've never done it before and I'd like to try, and partially due to the poll results, this one will be KaiShin, eventually. It's not a pairing I intend to do with any regularity, I'd just like to try it. If you don't like slash, that's no problem- you don't have to read. It's not going to start off that way, but it'll develop. And posting will be sporadic for a while, until I get a load more of it written. Now, read and enjoy!_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	2. 1:This Is Your Death

_**Chapter One**_

_**This Is Your Death**_

"_Oh, hell no,_" Kaito thought dizzily as he slumped to the ground, his white suit turning red.

It had been going so well. Hakuba and Conan had both offered a pleasant but nevertheless easily circumvented challenge by the simple expedient of locking them into the safe that he had just finished picking. They had set off the security systems while they were in there, too, which meant that it would be half an hour before the safe could be opened, setting the pair free. The police had fallen to the usual tricks, tonight featuring fireworks, ticker tape and a festive pink feather boa for every officer. Nakamori-keibu had looked particularly dashing in his, but he wasn't _dashing_ anywhere because for some reason Kaito had ordered the boas in twenty-foot-long variety, which took them plenty of time to untangle after the good ol' tried-and-failed method of the dogpile.

And so it was that Kaito made his merry way to the museum roof, finally alone, and about to check out the jewel when Nakamori Aoko, of all people, had to appear, having located a mop somewhere and wielding it with a fire in her eyes that he hadn't seen since that time when he'd flipped not only her skirt but her shirt as well. She really ought to take it as a compliment. After all, no matter how many jokes he made about her "manly" figure, he wouldn't look if there was nothing to see, would he? Women.

"You're not going anywhere, Kid!" she yelled, swinging the mop at him. He ducked, grabbing the mop and holding it still.

"Such anger only blemishes your pretty face, Ojousama," he said pleasantly. Aoko jerked on the mop, trying to pull it from his grasp.

"Shut it, Kid," she snarled. "You're not winning _me_ over."

"A source of endless regret, believe me," he said, effortlessly yanking the mop from her hands, which now found themselves clenched around the stem of a red rose.

"Why, _you-"_ she shrieked, dropping the rose as Kaito tossed the mop aside. As he backed away again, he came into view of the office tower across the way, and it was as that happened that a sniper bullet whipped past his ear.

"_Snake!_" he realized. A second later, he realized that Aoko, turning with a frown to the source of the bullet, was now also in view- in fact, in the line of fire.

"Get down!" he yelled, reaching his arm out to push her down, push her behind him-

That was when he felt the bullets sinking into his flesh.

He pushed Aoko down into the shadows behind the elaborate statuary on the museum's roof, trying not to collapse, breathing hard as a coldness pierced him.

"Kid!" Aoko shrieked.

"I said get _down_, Ojousama," he muttered, preventing her from poking her head out from behind the statue.

All the while, blood soaked through his shirt and dripped onto the ground.

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"About damn time," Hakuba muttered as he and Conan were finally freed from the safe. Ginzo prayed that they would not ask why most of the officers had pink feathers stuck to their hair and parts of their uniforms.

"Where's Kid?" Conan asked instead.

"We've lost track of him," he growled, "and Aoko's vanished too..."

_The roof!_

Ginzo whipped around as the sound drifted to his ears, a quiet voice, barely more than a thought. But it was persistent.

_The roof! Hurry, the roof!_ The thin, insubstantial voice whispered insistently. Conan was staring at some point over Ginzo's right shoulder, an unnerving habit that he'd seen the boy engage in a couple of times before.

"Nakamori-keibu," he said, "have you tried the roof?"

That was all it took Ginzo to start running full pelt towards the roof.

As he burst through the fire door, he saw two shots crack off of a bit of statuary, and behind it was the white figure of the thief, rapidly turning red. Ginzo turned and fired on the source of the shots, though his revolver didn't have the reach- it was a warning. The shots stopped, whoever it was retreating.

"Get as many officers as possible over there _now_!" he yelled, glancing over at Kid, who had collapsed, Aoko sitting next to him and talking half-angrily and half-desperately to the thief. "He's not going anywhere. Get an ambulance."

_Hurry._

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"_Oh, Kami,_" Aoko thought wildly, watching the thief clutch feebly at the multiple bullet wounds in his chest. He sank to the ground, sitting against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Hold on, damn you," she growled, angry tears heating her eyes as she tore his cape apart, wrenching his shirt open to wrap the impromptu bandages around the wounds. "You are _not_ going to die before Otou-san arrests you, dammit..."

Kid ignored her, holding up the jewel with a shaking arm. Aoko could hear her father yelling at his officers, demanding that they catch the sniper and bring an ambulance. Kid only stared at the jewel, turning it to catch the moonlight.

Hakuba appeared, plucking the jewel from Kid's unresisting hand. It fell to his side. "Doesn't matter," Kid grunted weakly. "Not red... not Pandora."

"Stop talking, dammit," Aoko muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Hakuba pressed with narrowed eyes. Aoko glared at him.

"Glows red... under moonlight..." Kid muttered. "Got to find... why they killed him..." he coughed oddly, and Aoko realized that it was a chuckle, warped by the blood in his lungs. "Why they killed... me..."

"Don't you _dare_ die, you bastard," Aoko's father growled. "Where the hell's that stretcher?!" he yelled into his radio.

"... never meant to cause you any trouble," Kid muttered. "Sorry... so... sorry..." his eyes were fluttering closed, but he managed to open them again, raising a shaking finger to wipe tears from Aoko's cheeks.

"... so sorry," he whispered again, but in a different voice. Then his eyes closed, his hand falling to the ground.

"Kid? Oi, Kid!" Nakamori yelled, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, damn you!"

"Nakamori-keibu!" the officers yelled, running through the fire door. Hakuba was staring at Kid with an oddly pale and shocked expression on his face, while Conan- Aoko hadn't even realized that he was there, he'd been silent- was standing back, staring at Kid with a strange, calculating expression. Aoko could only stare at the thief, shocked that such a powerful, magical figure could lie there so broken, so _mortal_, so...

"Nakamori-san, no!" Hakuba cried, but he was too late. Aoko reached out, pulling away the hat and monocle, letting moonlight stream across the face of...

Kaito.

"Enough of the _masks,_" she growled angrily, hating to see Kaito's face looking so..._ dead_. She pinched his cheek, trying to pull away the mask...

But there was no mask. Blood flowed momentarily to the spot she had pinched, before draining again, headed for the holes in his chest, leaving Kaito horribly, deathly white.

"Nakamori-san..." Hakuba said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"N... no..." Aoko whispered.

"Put him on the stretcher and _cover_ him, if the fans realize that he's the Kid we'll never get him to the hospital in time..." Ginzo was ordering. He wasn't looking at Kaito, not properly. He was very focused on yelling at the officers- _too_ focused. Whenever his eyes passed over Kaito, they glazed over, as if something was stopping him seeing what was there until it was time. Aoko wished her eyes would do that, hide it from her. She wished it wasn't real. She _screamed_ it.

"No... no... it can't be!" She cried. "No... _KAITO_!"

"Nakamori-san!" Hakuba cried, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her back as Kaito was lifted onto the stretcher, Nakamori-keibu watching her wretchedly, with no idea what to say or do for his daughter. "I'm sorry, Nakamori-san... it's not a mask... it's not..."

"No," Aoko sobbed. "No... why would he... how could he... no..." the world was spinning around her; then suddenly it faded, faded into blissful blackness...

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Nobody noticed Shinichi as he snapped the tranquilizer watch closed, watching Aoko slump in Hakuba's arms. She needed to rest for a while. It was too much.

Shinichi wasn't allowed to get into the ambulance with Nakamori-keibu and the smuggled Kid, but it didn't matter. He grabbed his skateboard, ready to head straight to the hospital where Kid was. Even if he lost track of the ambulance, he'd know where it was. He'd be able to tell.

And then... he'd wait and see. He'd know soon enough.

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Kaito drifted in and out of semi-consciousness. Aoko was screaming... that was bad. He didn't want her to be upset. Or was she hurt? That would be bad too. Being shot hurt. He remembered the pain, but he didn't seem to feel it anymore. Or maybe he'd forgotten to feel it.

Then Nakamori-keibu was yelling. Always yelling. His throat must be made of steel. What was making him so angry now? It was probably his fault, Kaito mused. It generally was.

Then several flickers of... a beeping noise. Muttered voices. Green clothes. An operating theatre? He must be hurt bad.

Then it was darkness for a time. A really _comfy_ darkness. Morphine, maybe...?

Then somehow, he was lying on a bed in a hospital room.

"_Did I... pull through?_" he wondered, sitting up. It must've been morphine; he couldn't feel any pain or stiffness. "_Heh... can't kill me if you try, as Snake can definitely attest..._"

He felt oddly light-headed, though. Not quite light-headed... light-_bodied_. He stood up, then realized what he had done.

He was standing through the bed.

He was standing through the body lying on the bed.

His body.

"I'm sorry, Kaito."

He whipped around, midriff still disappearing into his own legs, to stare in shock at the source of the familiar voice- a voice that he'd given up on ever hearing again.

"Otou-san?" he whispered. His father only looked back at him with sorrowful eyes.

He looked almost precisely as he had done the day he died- well, as he had before the trick, anyway. He was wearing his stage costume- white suit, blue shirt, white bow tie, a slight parody of his Kid uniform. His hair was neater than Kaito's, but still stuck up a bit at the back just like his did. Somewhere in Kaito's distant memory, his mother complained that no matter how often she combed his hair before the show, it was still a mess by the end. Kaito, he realized, was still wearing his Kid costume, minus the hat and monocle. Nothing to hide his face.

Nobody to hide it from.

"I'm...?" he said, staring at the monitors connected to his body. They were still beeping softly. So could he still...?

"I don't think you can get back into your body."

Kaito and Toichi turned identical blue gazes on the new arrival as the door clicked closed behind him. Kaito blinked again, staring at the odd sight.

His first thought was that the guy who'd walked through the door looked exactly like him, except with better-tamed hair and a kind of dated outfit. He was staring right at Kaito and Toichi with a serious expression. But as Kaito looked the guy up and down, he realized that the adult faded out below his stomach, fading into the background of a little boy, staring at Kaito through his glasses with precisely the same stern expression.

"Your body may be comatose, not dead yet," both said in perfect unison, "but since your spirit's already separated from it there's nothing to be done. I'm sorry."

"What the hell?" Kaito said, looking from his father, who looked supremely unsurprised, to Conan and his weird spirit double. "Forgive me for being overwhelmed, but just what the hell's going on?"

"To put it bluntly, you're a ghost, Kaito," Toichi said. "And he's a..." he glanced at Conan. "What do you call yourself?"

"I see ghosts, let's stick with that, I hate the mystic mumbo-jumbo labels," the ghostly figure above Conan grumbled, while the kid himself remained silent with an annoyed look on his face. "And by the way, my real name's Kudo Shinichi, as I'm sure you can see."

Kaito stared from Kudo to his father again, almost willing himself to wake up. But somehow, he felt self-delusion more difficult in the face of the ultimate reality.

He would never wake up again.

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_Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November,_

_Gunpowder, Treason and Plot,_

_I know of no reason_

_Why the Gunpowder Treason_

_Should ever be forgot._

_In honour of this very special holiday (Special because I'm a V fangirl XD) I present to you: A Phantom Thief!_

_Shinichi's spirit form, for various reasons, is wearing what he wore That Day at Tropical Land. I couldn't resist taking a dig at it. The nineties were a terrible, terrible time for fashion XD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	3. 2:Denial

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Denial**_

"_That was just a nightmare. A really, really cruel, horrible dream where all of your worst fears came true. Because you already have proof that Kaito can't be the Kaitou Kid, and he certainly can't be dead. That kind of thing wouldn't happen to him. When you open your eyes, it'll be a normal morning, and everything will be just fine._"

Having reassured herself thus, Aoko opened her eyes.

Her room looked normal enough. Morning sunlight was streaming through her window. The sun was high in the sky- nearly midday, it seemed. "_Weird. Isn't today Wednesday? But my alarm didn't go off… or was I just that deep into the nightmare that I didn't hear it?_"

She sat up, feeling her head spin a little, then realised that she wasn't wearing pyjamas. She looked down at her clothes, and for a moment wondered dazedly why she hadn't bothered to change. Then she wondered when she had gotten a dress with that odd brown pattern.

Then her brain woke up fully, focusing on the brown pattern, reminding her what it was, and she remembered. That was no horrible dream.

It was real. All too real.

She lay back down, the room spinning around her as her brain froze again, squeezing her eyes shut. "_I'm still asleep. Please let me still be asleep. Wake up, wake up, wake up…_" She pressed her knuckles into her eyes until it hurt. But when she opened her eyes again, she was still wearing a blue dress stained with Kaito's blood, the pattern dancing and warping with the odd shapes left by her knuckles pressing into her eyes. The _world_ was warped.

Kuroba Kaito. Kaitou Kid. Her best friend. Her worst enemy.

All one and the same.

It was almost too much to take in; for a moment she thought she might faint again. But she remained unfortunately conscious, forced to face her confusion. She hated the Kaitou Kid, hated him with a burning passion for all her life. He was a thief, he was a criminal, he was a _bad person_…

But how could she reconcile that with Kaito? The silly, cheery boy who had always been there, flipping her skirt and pulling some prank; cheering her up and making her smile… the Kaitou Kid was a bad person, but Kaito wasn't. She _knew_ he wasn't. He could be annoying, absolutely _infuriating_, but… he wasn't a bad person.

So why? Why would he do this? _How could he do this to her-?_

Suddenly she sat up, running for the bathroom to wash off the dried blood and get some clean clothes. She wanted answers, dammit, even if she had to _beat_ them out of him…

She pulled off her dress and paused, staring at the brown pattern again. Then she dropped it, gasping in shock as she remembered. "_The blood… the gunshots… Kami, he was hurt so bad… is he in hospital? Or is he… no. No, he couldn't be!_"

She washed and changed faster than the Kaitou Kid, desperation giving her speed- desperation to find the truth, and praying that the one person who could give it to her was still alive.

* * *

It was torture for Kaito. He hadn't meant to bring them down with him.

Still, he'd never respected Nakamori-keibu any more than he did right this second. He had refused to make it public that the Kaitou Kid had been caught at all, never mind his identity nor that he was lying in a coma at Haido General Hospital. He had also, to the consternation of his superiors, who had been arguing that he had been emotionally compromised on the case, insisted on handling the interview with Kuroba Minami himself.

His mother. Kami above, his mother. How the hell could he have done this to her? Wrapped up in his revenge, he'd never quite realized just how scared she must have been, scared that she'd lose her son like she'd lost her husband…

Watching her struggle bravely through tears to talk to Nakamori-keibu, Kaito could only think: "_Great job, slick._"

"I always thought this was the worst part," Toichi said softly, watching his crying widow. His eyes, like they always seemed to be now, were dark with pain and grief; Kaito had yet to see them sparkle again with the mischief and merriment that they had always held in life. "Yours and Minami's pain… I couldn't do anything to comfort either of you. It was so hard…"

"You've always stayed behind?" Kaito asked, unable to tear his eyes away from his mother despite how guilty it made him, though it was preferential to looking at what she was sitting next to. The sight of his own body made him queasy. "Ever since…?"

"I couldn't go," Toichi said. "Not murdered. Not unavenged. The murdered can't go, according to your friend…"

"He's not my friend," Kaito sighed. "He is the most annoying chibi-tantei on the face of the earth…"

"Like father, like son," Toichi said lightly.

Said chibi-tantei had vanished a while ago, claiming irritably that Ran was continually calling to get him to come home (though the chibi face had been irritated, his true face, hovering opaquely three feet above, changed at the very mention of Mori Ran; it softened, and yet at the same time there was terrible, terrible pain. Kaito could guess how that felt, and why-all too well). He'd said that he'd come back for Kaito tomorrow, to Kaito's confusion.

It was then that he'd found that he could only keep in a close orbit around his body or his mother. He could switch from one to the other at any time, but it was only switching which stake he was tied to; it was like being attached with a rubber band- the further away he got, the harder it was to move, the harder it was to go further away.

"You need something to anchor you, I suppose," Toichi explained. "I found early that I could switch between Minami and you- that was it. I had to be near one of you. That was hard, in the early days, when I was consumed with guilt for leaving you both; I didn't want to see any more proof of your pain. As I am, there was no escape from it… But it's not all been bad. At least I've gotten to see you grow up, after a fashion… gotten front-row seats to all of the Kid heists…"

"Enjoyed the show?" Kaito asked, idly turning a somersault in midair. Being insubstantial and even less subject to the laws of gravity than usual, he had been boredly experimenting with a few acrobatic tricks; they had gotten wilder as he forgot the habits of a physical body, such as being incapable of turning your elbow through 360 degrees, but he had sobered up with his mother's arrival. He would probably be experimenting again soon, though; if his father was right and the murdered could not pass on until avenged, he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. And he'd never taken boredom well.

"Very impressive," Toichi chuckled with a little clap, a hint of the sparkle returning. "Although with the levitation trick especially, you're lucky that They didn't shoot you out of the sky…"

"It wasn't exactly aimed at Them," Kaito said idly. "They've never turned up at any of Jirokichi-jiisan's challenges. Probably because there's so much more publicity at them."

"As if the Kaito Kid could get any _more_ publicity," Toichi laughed. "Out of curiosity, the Teleportation trick…"

"Yeah, I adapted your old notes," Kaito said with a cheeky grin and a shrug. "I liked the plan too much to let it go to waste."

"Glad you did," Toichi said, a little wistfully. "I'd been looking forward to it myself… that was the one I'd planned for a week after I died…"

Their carefully distracting conversation was cut off at the sound of cops being yelled at outside. They both glanced at Nakamori to check that he was still in the room.

"What…?" he muttered, standing up to stick his head out of the door, passing a clean handkerchief to Kaito's mother as he went. Kaito felt his stomach flip over (not literally, of course, it was sitting several feet away) as, with a mixed sigh and sob, she bent over, clearly done talking, sobbing in earnest into the cloth. He saw his father reach out, automatically, as if to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but then he drew his hand back, as if it were no more than a nervous twitch. Neither of them could touch her or comfort her.

"… He's in a coma. I'm sorry, but…"

Nakamori was pushed aside as his irate daughter stormed into the room. Kaito stared at her, suddenly feeling even worse than when his mother had been brought in. Kami, Aoko… she hated Kid _so much_…

He'd have to tell her someday. He knew that. But he'd wanted to tell her himself, to explain, to apologize a million, a _billion_ times for every night her father had been away, every time he'd pushed her away, every time he'd hurt her by breaking the law…

He hadn't wanted her to find out like this. _Never_ like this.

She stared at his body, completely ignoring his mother, probably not through any rudeness but through anger-fuelled tunnel vision; he had never seen her this furious, not in any mop chase. Her face was a deep red to shame her father on his worst rants, her eyes blazing, as she stormed over to stand next to his bed, staring down at him with her hands fisted. He expected her to start battering him, to scream at him, something, _anything_, he deserved it…

But she just stared, and after a long moment, she started crying. Tears streaked silently down her vivid cheeks. Her face screwed up, as if she were about to scream, but she only yelled one word.

"_**BaKaito!!!**_"

Then a moment later, she turned and fled the room, now crying as hard as his mother. Nakamori made to follow her, calling her name, as did Kaito.

"Kaito, you can't-" he heard his father begin, and he knew what he meant; he couldn't follow her, any moment he'd be dragged back to his anchors, his mother and his body…

But he could. Suddenly, Aoko was his anchor. He followed her as she ran blindly, nurses dodging as she ran down the corridors, startled couples in the stairwell shrieking in surprise as she barrelled past them towards the roof, all unknowing as the Kaitou Kid slipped through their midst more invisibly than ever before…

She ran straight towards the edge, and for a moment Kaito feared that she'd keep going over. But she merely grabbed the railing, leaning over and gulping for air as she sobbed, tears pouring off of her chin and falling all the way down to the ground. Still crying, she slowly sank to her knees.

"Baka, baka, _baka_…" she sobbed. "Why? Why didn't you _tell_ me? _Why_? Why…"

Kaito tried to place a hand on her shoulder, to comfort her, to somehow make her hear him- but his hand passed through her like insubstantial smoke, and she suddenly shivered, as if the temperature had plummeted. He did not try to touch her again.

"I'm sorry," he said, over and over again, as though if he said it enough she would hear. "Please, Aoko. Stop crying. I'm sorry…"

But still she couldn't hear him.

* * *

"You sure about leaving that kid?"

Shinichi didn't even open his eyes at the familiar dry voice. "He needs some time to adjust, Akai. He wasn't planning it, unlike you." He could visualize the tall, pale, black-clad figure hovering nearby, looking almost like some slightly fleshier parody of death. There were dozens of shadows, always following him. Thankfully, he'd found out some time ago that he could stop them stalking him everywhere (it was hard enough to pay attention in kiddy school without thirty ghosts floating around the room, especially as small children are more inclined to notice them than adults) by leaving a lock of his own hair under his futon. It was still technically a part of him, and that was all the ghosts needed for an anchor (When people who kept a deceased person's lock of hair in a locket and said it made them feel closer, they had no idea). It didn't stop them following him if they really wanted to, but most of them, thankfully, couldn't be bothered.

Those whose murders lay unsolved could not pass on; and the Syndicate was far too skilled at murders made to look like accidents. Shinichi disliked the word "shaman", but it seemed the only word that sufficiently described what he could see and the level of control that he had over them. So as the shaman, then, they all gathered to him, longing for their murderers to see justice.

It has always been like this. He used to see them whenever he followed his father to a case, hovering around their own body, occasionally pointing at their murderer, occasionally just confused as they hadn't quite realized what had happened. He tried to ignore them, for a long time, scared of these people that his father and the officers couldn't hear, but it couldn't work; murders found him, ghosts howling for justice, and what could he do but give it to them?

It wasn't that his success was entirely down to the testimony of the victim- far too often, they had no idea what had happened, and it still all depended on Shinichi's powers of deduction to find the truth. But they generally knew something useful, pointed out something odd, handed him the key to the case. They tended to fade as their murderer was cuffed, satisfied that justice would be done.

But the Syndicate still walked free, and so every one of their victims remained on earth. And now, not only did Shinichi have all of _them_ to deal with, he would also had the Kaitou Kid following him around. Both of them.

This _would_ be fun.

* * *

* * *

_Chapter 1 happens a month before the Prologue, __**nataeiy1**__. The prologue is just sort of a preview of what's to come… *bows*_

_Homework first, then fic, __**Marie Ravenclaw!**__ (I say that, but if I see a chapter of Mayonaka up what do I do…? XDXD) The Army have only themselves to blame for this. Gotta love 'em XD_

_Because it'll hopefully be awesome, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__? XD And the Army are gonna getcha! First we make you a Kaito fan, and THEN… MUAHAHAHAHAHA! XD *ahem* Don't worry about being evil and insane. You are among your own kind here. XD_

_Shinichi's rejection of the supernatural while he can see ghosts will be explained, __**SetoJouFan**__. For now, enjoy the hijinks of a natural poltergeist…_

_Yeah, I made a few alterations, __**Twiltye**__, but nothing major. And you're right, chapter 712 is odd. For one thing, I firmly do not believe that Kid tazed Conan. That can be dangerous to the point of fatal for small children, and in any case he doesn't taze _anybody_- he uses sleeping gas, which he wouldn't use anyway because he clearly loves the challenge that Conan gives him. On top of that, there's something odd about that postscript. I think Jirokichi's misinterpreted it, and I don't even think it's aimed at him. Depending on how you read it, it could be aimed at Conan (suggesting that manga Kid now knows who he is) or possibly Snake *living in hope*…_

_I hope I can hook you again, __**FHP2208**__ ^_- Your English is still impeccable, worry not ^_^ I didn't used to be a KaiShin fangirl, but the KaiShin Army does strange things to people XD_

_I did say that if you don't like Yaoi, you don't have to read, __**Pretztailfan95**__. If you do, no flaming please. Still, I'm planning a few other things to come, so you can always wait on them ^_-_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	4. 3:Anger

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Anger**_

Kaito was still following Aoko (not stalking, he wasn't exactly doing it by choice any more) and it was starting to piss him off.

He couldn't tear himself away from Aoko, not while she was crying. He couldn't figure out any way to comfort her, so he knew that he shouldn't stay near her, but he couldn't stop himself from trying, praying that somehow she would hear him.

She didn't.

By the time that it had grown too much, when she was curled up sobbing under her bedcovers, he had realized that he very _literally_ couldn't tear himself away from her. She had become his anchor, and he was too far away from his mother or his body to switch back to them. His father hadn't been able to follow him- he had probably followed his widow home. Which meant that Kaito, invisible, inaudible and immaterial to Aoko and her father, was very much alone with his thoughts.

He glanced around Aoko's room, trying to distract himself from the self-blame and hatred that his father had warned him about. In a part of his mind, he knew that all of this was down to the Syndicate… they had killed his father, driving him to become Kid, had killed _him_… but he couldn't help the thought that were it not for him, Aoko wouldn't have cried herself to sleep.

It hurt to see her so sad, so pained. Kami, but it hurt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, reaching for her as she whimpered in her sleep…

There was a flash, and he was no longer in Aoko's room.

He glanced around. There was only mist everywhere, dark shapes moving around, pushing him back and forth. A few feet away, he recognized Aoko, kneeling on the ground and crying again. He tried to approach her, but once again he was insubstantial; he couldn't touch her…

But she seemed to realize that somebody was nearby. "O-Okaa-san?" she gulped, looking around, eyes streaming. With a jolt, Kaito realized that for some reason, she didn't seem much older than five. "O-Otou-san?"

It was neither of her parents who approached her through the mist and dark crowds, however. Kaito, in shock, realized that it was his own five-year-old self.

He realized what the dream was about now, or at least where it was taking place. It was some warped version of the day they had met. No wonder the dark figures around them were so huge, everyone looks like a giant to a preschooler. He'd snuck out of the pre-show, wearing a blue hoodie and baseball cap rather than change into his posh stage clothes, and gone wandering… then he'd seen the lonely little girl in pink, and for the first time, he'd been struck by that strange… _impulse_…

All he'd wanted was a smile.

The dream-him didn't speak, only smiled and offered a rose, the same as before. But then the dream warped again; the second Aoko took the rose, the little him ran, vanishing into the crowds, a thin red string trailing after him, connected to the rose.

"K-Kaito, wait!" she screamed, running after him, stumbling and tripping as the dark crowds pushed her back and forth, trying to chase after the red thread, but the little Kaito was always out of her sight. Kaito followed her, not consciously moving but simply pulled along in the flow of her nightmare. She kept running after the red thread, the other end forever out of sight…

Then they saw someone. Kaito saw that it was him; the Kaitou Kid. But it wasn't.

What stood before them was huge and terrible; a distorted figure, grinning cruelly, red-eyed, spikes of black hair flowing lazily under the brim of the huge hat that seemed to shadow them all. Aoko stopped with a little sob.

The little Kaito was standing behind Kid, visible through the tree-trunk legs. He turned to face Aoko with a little smile and waved- waved goodbye.

"Kaito!" she screamed again, running forwards. With an evil smile, the Kaitou Kid spun on his heel, cloak flowing out like a white knife, slicing through the red thread. A moment later, he was gone, and Kaito with him.

And then Kaito was back in Aoko's room as she jerked awake, breathing heavily, wiping away the tears that the nightmare had wrenched from her. Then she was crying again.

Kaito couldn't watch, but all else he had to think about were the images from her dream; him running from her and the cut red thread and the twisted, evil Kid.

"_Is that… how she sees me…?_"

* * *

"Kaito!"

Kaito jerked as he heard his father's voice. The spirit in question was hovering on top of a wall not far away. Kaito took a brief moment to thank Tsukiyomi, who he had a personal fondness for and thus always addressed prayers to, despite being pretty much an atheist the rest of the time (though of course several conceptions were being corrected by this point). He had been trying to figure out some way to get away from Aoko all morning. He got the distinct feeling that it would not be fun to run into Koizumi.

A moment later, there was an indescribable shifting sensation, and suddenly he was _too far away_- the rubber band was tugging him towards a new anchor…

To his surprise, it wasn't his mother, passing on her way to the shops or some such, but the bizarre double figure of Edogawa Conan and the shadow of Kudo Shinichi. He was also mildly surprised to see that he and his father weren't the only ghosts shadowing the chibi-tantei. There was another man too, dressed in black, with piercing gold eyes and a sharp profile. He gave Kaito a quick glance up and down, and Kaito got the impression that some mental score had been tallied.

"Shouldn't you be in school, tantei-kun?" he asked sweetly. Filling time when Aoko had finally fallen into peaceful sleep, he had been thinking about the kokosei-tantei-turned-midget and at some point had realized that the teen genius was currently going through second grade again. He had then laughed for some time, and since he hadn't needed to draw breath, laughed for some more time.

Both Conan and Shinichi gave him Evil Eyes, which made Kaito distinctly uncomfortable. "I ditched. Nobody'll get bothered, Kobayashi-sensei's seen me sleep in class and _still_ do the lesson perfectly. I needed to get you to switch to me. I think we need to swap info first. Specifically your information on the Syndicate. I've seen them coming after you more than once…"

"Syndicate?" Kaito asked. "You mean… Snake and his crew? I mean…" of course, the kid couldn't know who Snake was.

To his surprise, Shinichi nodded. "Let's walk, I look bizarre standing here on my own."

"I've seen your boy Snake," the other ghost in black said. "Or Snakebite, really. Back when I infiltrated the Syndicate. I recognized him on one of your heists, when I was following Kudo. That's when we realized that you and we have the same enemy."

"Umm, who..?" he asked.

"Akai Shuuichi," the ghost said with a curt nod. "FBI. Past Syndicate infiltrator. Currently still stalking the Syndicate."

"They murdered you?" Kaito asked. He wasn't quite ready yet for the "too".

"Luckily, yes," he said offhandedly. Kaito stared. Toichi was watching Kaito's expressions with a faintly amused look, apparently having already had this conversation.

"We planned it together," Shinichi explained. Conan, walking below, stayed silent- so that passersby wouldn't see a little boy out alone during school hours talking to himself, that didn't really look good from any angle. The only indication that anything was amiss was a slight glazing to his eyes, hidden by the oversized fake glasses. Kaito wasn't certain at what point he'd noticed that they were fake, but there it was now, clear as day. "It got the CIA infiltrator in on trust. Anyway…"

"I had more reasons to die than not to," Shuuichi cut him off. "And after Kudo here told me what he could do, who he could see, I knew I'd get to hang around and help out for a while anyway."

"Which is all he's going to say on the matter, I've had this conversation already," Toichi confirmed to Kaito quietly. "More than once. Though I presume explanations will come, in time, now that we're haunting Kudo-kun as well. It is very difficult for ghosts to hide things from each other, I've found."

"You've seen other ghosts?" Kaito asked in surprise.

"Ghosts become when a person is murdered and goes unavenged," Shinichi said abruptly. "I see a lot of them. I help them move on. It's the most common reason for becoming a ghost, but not the only one. For example, if someone is buried under a false name… they can't move on without their real name, for some reason. Not a lot I can do for them, though I've tried. Mostly they just worry me about what'll happen if something happens to _me_. But mainly, I see the murdered sort a lot… there's a reason everyone calls Occhan a shinigami," he added bitterly. Kaito began forming suspicions about the sudden brilliance of Nemuri No Kogoro, but put that aside for a time.

"Which means I'm stuck stalking you until the Syndicate is destroyed?" Kaito said, bringing up a cheery smile. It was bizarrely difficult. He had never before fully appreciated how much his body acted of its own accord. He had to keep constant, conscious control over his spirit-body, or it would drift, revealing his feelings…

His father was deadpan at all times, but he'd had ten years to practice.

"Yes, and I can't say I'm looking forward to that," Shinichi said dryly as Conan stepped onto a bus. He didn't seem to have any control at all over his spirit-body or soul-projection or whatever it was. His emotions were on full display, at all times, which meant a constant underlying level of depression now currently mixed with irritation. "But you will _not_ be with me 24/7, thank you very much." One trick he did have mastery of, however, was speaking with his spirit while his reduced little mortal body paid for a child's ticket, chatted with the bus driver and made for a seat. The irritation on his spirit face- his _true_ face- only grew as he was forced to act as a child. It made him oddly… vulnerable.

"Why not?" Kaito asked, sitting down on the head of a teenage boy sitting behind Shinichi. His father and Shuuichi, more used to being ghosts, simply floated nearby, Shuuichi's elbow sticking through the wall of the bus. They'd walked in through the wall, too. Kaito kept using doors. Old habits were hard to break.

"I'm sealing you with the rest," Shinichi said, without further elaboration. Shuuichi just shrugged.

"He doesn't even let me follow him, generally, "he said irritably. "He just summons me whenever there's Syndicate involvement."

"You can seal and summon me?" Kaito said, eyes widening involuntarily. This was sounding less fun by the second.

"Stop giving him details on what I can do to him, Akai," Shinichi said, though he was smirking slightly as Kaito's obvious discomfort. "He'll just figure out ways past everything if I don't surprise him with it." Shuuichi looked irritated at being ordered around but fell silent.

"_Mental note; he can seal me or summon me, possibly at will, through means unknown. Additional hypothesis; he may be able to control ghosts to some extent. Prognosis; Will have to work at it to bedevil this one._"

Toichi saw the look on his face and laughed. Conan hopped up and trotted down the aisle as the bus reached his stop- his kiddy act was better than it had been when he'd first appeared on the rooftop of the Haido Hotel with a bottle rocket, Kaito had to give him that, even the smallest motions screamed "_Little Kid_", though physically he must be eight or nine now, probably due a growth spurt soon- and called a cheery goodbye to the bus driver as he jumped the bottom step off the bus. Only his true face showed the depression that had settled back over him. Somehow, that made Kaito frown. "_Are his emotions connected to mine now? Just great…_"

"By the way, Kudo-kun," Toichi asked with trepidation, "what did you mean by "the rest"?" Kaito blinked as he remembered something that Shinichi had said, briefly forgotten as he worried about just how powerless he might be at the questionable mercy of the diminutive detective.

"Ghosts?" he asked tentatively. "Are there others besides us and Akai-san following you?"

Shuuichi barked out a harsh laugh. "The Syndicate, as you may have noticed, are very skilled at killing people and making it look like and accident or suicide or some such. Just how many of the murders that they have perpetrated do you think have been solved?"

Kaito frowned. He had a point. After all, his father's murder had never been solved, and Snake- Snakebite?- was just incompetent…

There was a loud yell up above. Shinichi glanced upwards, then suddenly leapt back, his expression changing to one of horror.

A second later, a guy landed heavily- and wetly- on the pavement where Shinichi had just been standing.

Kaito took one look at the spreading pool of red and wished he still had a stomach to be sick with.

* * *

* * *

_**Marie Ravenclaw**__ recently advanced the hypothesis that, if Snake is a member of the Black Organization, his true codename might be Snakebite, a powerful Mexican liquor. Hope you don't mind me hijacking your theory, Marie-chan 3 While I'm talking to ya… WOW, you read a lot of fanfic XDXD Yeah, I'm a bit like that sometimes… I know one guy who's worse, he could actually hack the Pentagon if he ever stopped playing Halo 3 XDXDXDXD The last line is poor Shin-chan being sarcastic. Kid gives him trouble enough when he's tangible XD They'll all be getting a lot of grief here, I'm afraid…_

_All hail the Army, __**nataeiy1**__! XD Possession will be dealt with in due course, don't worry. And as for 712- Kaito would never use a tazer, a) because a bit of sleeping gas can have the same effect with considerably less pain (he's been known to use it before anyway), and b) because using a tazer on a small child is seriously dangerous. It could actually kill him, though I'm sure that won't happen here ^_^ Besides, yeah, he wouldn't want Conan out of the way. Someone else tazed Conan, which means someone else is in there… and Kaito probably won't take lightly to somebody assaulting his "favourite critic"…_

_Aoko's grief will have to run its course, __**FHP2208**__,but it might just be harder for Kaito, because he's still around to see it… Chapter update is weekly until I get a few more chapters done. Kaito's mother's name isn't ever given (she only ever appears in the first chapter of MK), so I just picked Minami for no real reason XD It's the name I now have associated as hers. The KaiShin Army descended from Heaven to produce beautiful and lolworthy KaiShin fic… XDXDXD gotta love 'em. _

_I'm probably going to list all of my stories as DC/MK crossover from now own, __**KSA Key-chan**__. Luffs your stories too… Can't wait for the updates! ^_-_

_Arigatou, __**Myvampirepuppy**__! And anyone can write well if you just do it all the time. Practice makes perfect! ALL HAIL KAISHIN!_

_Glad you like it, __**Ryousen**__! What will happen to Kaito…?_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	5. 4:Bargaining

_**.netwwwChapter Four**_

_**Bargaining**_

"How often does that happen to you?" Kaito asked faintly, watching the slowly fading victim make immensely rude gestures at his mistress and murderer as she was led into a police car. The entire case had shaken him, for a number of reasons, not least the man landing on his head in front of them; as someone who jumped off of tall buildings on a regular basis, seeing what could have happened to him had his glider malfunctioned would keep him up at nights, if he needed to sleep anymore.

"Not really," Kudo shrugged, nodding to the victim as he vanished entirely.

"The police certainly knew you well, though," Toichi opined, and Kaito nodded in agreement. The police, after a short interrogation about why Kudo wasn't at school, had simply shrugged it off and begun working around the boy; in fact, they worked _with_ him, allowing him access to evidence and areas that the general public- _especially_ children- weren't normally allowed near. They even dropped what they were doing to listen to the boy whenever he had suggestions or deductions disguised as childish comments; these crime-solving professionals gave genuine weight to the words of a nine-year-old, without quite realizing what they were doing. It was unsettling, and suggested a _lot_ of contact between Kudo and the cops.

"Oh, yeah, murders do seem to happen a lot around me," Kudo said, looking deeply annoyed. "I can't go anywhere without literally tripping over a body. The Underworld seems to prefer to have murders happen around tantei like me who can see spirits, because if the victim is unavenged, they can't pass on..." he looked deeply troubled for a moment, before shaking it off. "Anyway, I meant that they're not normally that easy. Crimes of passion aren't premeditated, so they tend to leave more evidence and the victim generally knows who did it and has a pretty good idea of how. With premeditated crimes, most evidence is gone, and the victim isn't always aware of who did it, or sometimes even that they're _dead_."

"Ah, so contact with the victims isn't the _only_ reason that you're a meitantei," Kaito teased. Kudo glared at him, sneaking away from the police as he did so before they offered him a lift to school. It was the afternoon already anyway; that case, despite its ease, had taken a while.

"It's just what I do," he grumbled. Then his stomach grumbled louder. Kaito couldn't help laughing. "Shut it," the mini-meitantei snapped. "_Some_ of us still have to eat." Then he got an evil grin, looking straight at Kaito. "Which is why I'm going to go get lunch. And bring you two with me. So you'll have to watch while I eat my chocolate parfait, allllll by myself…"

Kaito could feel himself wanting to salivate at the mere _thought_ of chocolate. Then he realized that Kudo was right; he couldn't eat it. He couldn't taste it. He couldn't even touch it.

"Nooo," he moaned, forced to float after the demonic boy.

"He looked like you when he grinned like that," Toichi commented. Kaito wished he could bang his head against a wall.

* * *

"Aoko? Are you alright?"

Aoko glanced up at Keiko a little dazedly, trying to think of something to say. Of course. Her whole world had just crashed around her ankles, but she couldn't explain why because of course the Kaitou Kid's identity and location were top-secret…

"It was… a little rough at that heist the other night…" she muttered.

"Yeah, I heard there was gunfire!" Keiko gasped. "Were you hit? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Aoko lied, "Just… tired…"

"Yeah, you look wasted," Keiko said with a frown. "Are you sure you should've come in today?"

"I…" if she was perfectly honest with herself, she had no idea why she'd come in today, other than that she couldn't think of what else to do with herself. She'd thought about staying home again, but all she'd done yesterday, after getting back from the hospital, was think until she cried- which didn't take long- then cried herself to sleep… and she always dreamt of Kaito. Kaito and the Kid.

She really didn't know if she could ever forgive him for being the Kid… she just wished she'd had the chance to find out.

"I couldn't skip again," she settled for. "Anyway, I'm fine, really…"

"Are you sure?" Keiko said again. Aoko nodded a little more vigorously than probably necessary. "Well, then… hey, Aoko…" she leaned in conspiratorially. "Do you know where Kid is, by the way? I mean, I know it's secret and all…"

"I don't know," Aoko said sharply. "They didn't tell me where they were taking him. I guess Otou-san realized that I'd kill him in his hospital bed…." Keiko just laughed.

"Okay, do you know where _Kuroba-kun _is?" she asked, making Aoko's heart jump. "Is he hunting Kid down or something?"

"His mother said he's ill," Aoko said, looking away from Keiko so she wouldn't see her face. "Bad flu."

"Oh, okay." With that, Keiko brushed it off and started chattering about the concert that she wanted tickets for. Aoko just nodded and smiled, trying to focus entirely on her friend's chatter and not on any thoughts concerning a certain thief and a childhood friend.

"So is he dead?" Akako said from half an inch away from Saguru's ear across the classroom. It took an awful lot of self-control not to leap a mile. He wondered if she did this to Kuroba a lot. "I'm getting mixed readings…"

"He's comatose in very critical condition," he replied coolly, some sixth sense telling him not to bullshit Koizumi Akako. "We don't know whether he'll live or not…" he went back to watching Aoko with a worried expression.

"Going to catch her on the rebound?" Akako said maliciously. Saguru stared at her, flushing.

"Koizumi-san!" he said angrily. "No gentleman would ever take advantage of a lady like that." He glanced back at her. "Still, she's going to need to talk sooner or later… I just want to be there for her when she does. That baka…. I always knew he'd hurt her…"

Akako wandered off, returning to contemplate the odd readings from her scrying bowl the night of the heist.

* * *

"_Please, let that be…_" Ran prayed as the phone rang. She shivered, pulling her jumper tighter around her. She could _never_ get the flat warm these days. She pushed a couple of beer cans into her father's head to wake him and answered the phone. He ignored her, beyond a moment's disrupted snoring. "Moshi Moshi?"

"_Ran!_ _I'm sorry it's been so long…_"

"Shinichi!" she gasped. "It's about time, it's been a _month_!"

"_Gomen, I've been busy…_" he sounded a little embarrassed, repeating the same old words. She barely even thought about them anymore. They were just part of the ritual.

"Too busy for the _exams_?" she said acidly. She commenced with ranting about how, deductive skills or not he needed an education and how come he couldn't even come back to take the college entrance exams…

Ranting felt good. It helped her cover the crushing depression that had come with the sound of his voice- and what _hadn't _come with it.

She'd hoped, she'd really hoped that hearing his voice would do it. She'd hoped there would be the relief, the longing, the _love_.

There wasn't.

When had it happened, she wondered as she hung up the phone a while later and started prodding her father again to wake him up. When had it begun to fade? It was now nearly three years since Shinichi had vanished, about a year since she had last seen him. And somewhere, slowly, she had begun to give up. Shinichi being gone had become just as natural a state of affairs as Shinichi being around had once been.

Once she'd realized that it was happening, she'd desperately sought to regain her feelings. She had loved him for so long. She didn't want that to just fade. But little by little, it hurt less not to have him around; little by little, she was less relived whenever he called- because she worried less in between times.

Perhaps that was what hurt now; not that he was gone, but that, little by little, she was no longer caring.

She gave up on waking her father in favour of just curling up on the couch and crying. Or tried to. She longed to cry. She longed to think that there was enough left for that.

There wasn't. There just wasn't. She'd given all she had to give, finally giving up.

"Ran-neechan?"

She glanced up as Conan appeared in the doorway, staring at her in confusion. "Welcome home, Conan-kun."

"Are you all right, Ran-neechan?" he asked, wandering over. Ran smiled a little. Conan always worried so much about her… he'd been there for her more often than Shinichi had, these past three years. He didn't quite look like he bought the smile.

"I'm just fine, Conan-kun," she said. "Just… just fine. Are you going out with your friends this afternoon?"

"Um… yeah, we're going to the arcade!" Conan flashed his cheery little grin at her before running upstairs, presumably to deposit his bag, and tearing out of the door again with all of the vibrant energy of a nine-year-old boy. At nineteen, Ran wished she still had that energy. In the end, though, she just felt… drained.

The phone rang again, her mobile this time. "Moshi moshi?" Ran greeted, picking up.

"_Ran-san! Umm… It's Eisuke._" Ran smiled a little. Of course it was. Who else would have to pause to think before giving his own name?

"Eisuke-kun!" she said happily. "How are you?" The boy hadn't been back in Japan long, but he and Sonoko had locked straight back onto him, and now he was around just as much as Shinichi had been; odd that she should lose a friend to gain another. Something in her stomach lurched as she realized possible further implications of that thought, but she swallowed it.

"_Umm, fine, arigato… Sonoko-san and I ran into each other in the shopping centre and decided to hang out… do you want to come too?_"

"Sure, I'd love to!" Ran said, really meaning it, heading upstairs to change clothes. "Where are you? Or where will you be in an hour?"

"_Umm…_" there was a moment of muffled muttering. "_How about we meet you in front of the Mister Donut in an hour?_"

"That'll be great," she agreed. "I'll see you two there!" She hung up, humming a happy little tune as she got changed. Seeing two of her best three- she'd accidentally used the term once and they'd stuck with it as a joke- girlfriends was a pretty good way to cheer herself up.

"_Should I tell them about it?_" she wondered. "_I don't know if I could talk to Kazuha-chan about it, she knows what it's like to fall for a tantei-baka, the problem is she's been _dating_ her tantei-baka for six months, ever since their class trip to Kyoto… Come to that, Sonoko might not understand either. Her boyfriend's always away, but she's okay with that, it's not like she had to get used to it after him being around all her life, so it upsets her less… besides, she would never believe me, she's spent too long planning my wedding with Shinichi in mind… would Eisuke-kun understand?_" The thought of talking her problem through with somebody was highly enticing, and who better than the sensitive Hondo Eisuke?

She was feeling better already.

* * *

* * *

_Yeah, I skipped the murder mystery. The logistics of these things have been giving me major problems at the moment. -_-_

_I've been habitually "chan"ning just about everyone lately, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ ^_- Common name? My friend had something like that too, but he got his name legally changed when he was 16 because he hated his real name so much XD I've only been reading fanfic myself since something like late 2006, I started with InuYasha fanfic, but since I read all of that on MMorg I don't have any on my FFnet update lists. Yeah, Shuu's (He's the one character that I just can't seem to put a "Chan" to… oh, and Gin XDXDXDXD) dead for real here, since it's about ghosts and the dead… yeah, to the dead it's kind of obvious who Shin-chan really is. And in the KaiShinVerse, a Shinichi is perfect Kaito-bait… especially covered in chocolate… *ecchi grin*_

_It'll come around, __**nataeiy1**_**.**_ And it's sort of because he can see ghosts. The body thing has been sort of explained above, as well. The Underworld wants to claim all eventually, which is why murdered spirits need to be pacified. And your theory has been borne out somewhat by the latest chapter. What'll happen in 715…?_

_There will always be updates, __**FHP2208**__ ^_- Kaito will have to deal with Aoko's grief sooner or later…_

_Note to self: Subject __**HaibaraDaiFan**__ has exhibited seizure symptoms. In future, refine brainwashing techniques to avoid killing helpless victims XD You still haven't finished WPBIO? Do let me know when you do! I'm just a teensy bit proud of it _ _XDXD_

_Gomen, __**Pretztailfan95**__! I swear it appeared in my inbox something like two seconds after I updated the next chapter. Now STOP BEING EVIL LIKE RENGE! YOU WILL NOT REWRITE THIS STORYLINE INTO ANGSTY VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS! XDXDXDXDXD_

_They just drop out of the sky around Shin-chan, __**DiGi**__ XDXD I wonder when they're going to reveal that Okiya is Akai. There's just far too much evidence to suggest otherwise. From the looks of the RAWs on DCTP, Kid IS Nakamori- and those on the forums who can read Kanji said that Kid DID tazer Conan O_o however, as far as I can tell the arc isn't over yet, so maybe there are still major Kid plot happenings to come…_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	6. 5:Grief

_**Chapter Five**_

_**Grief**_

"… Why are you stalking your girlfriend?"

"Hush and just help me stalk."

Kaito just shrugged, figuring he'd better not push his luck and be sealed back into the Mori Detective Agency. Apparently, given that Mori Ran trusted that "Conan" was a responsible boy and therefore didn't tend to double-check that he'd gone where he said he had, the "playing with friends" lie was used on a regular basis when the boy had _other_ things to do.

Like stalk, which was usually Kaito's forte and probably why Kudo had elected to let him hang around him. Kaito, in turn, wasn't entirely certain why he wanted to come, aside from it being the preferable alternative to hanging around the Mori Detective Agency with the legions of the dead.

"_I don't think I have them all," Shinichi muttered, running up the steps to the Mori Detective Agency to drop his bag, making it appear that he had just gotten back from school. Despite repeated spying trips, Kaito didn't think he'd ever actually been inside the agency, certainly not in daylight. He caught a burst of noise from a TV in the office while Kudo was talking to Ran, overlaid at brief intervals by what sounding like someone doing something unpleasant to a set of bagpipes with a chainsaw, though a brief peek inside (Kaito, after steeling himself for a second, had stuck his head through the metal door; it had been an odd but in no way detrimental feeling) revealed that Nemuri No Kogoro was merely living up to his name on his desk, though making less informative noises. "It's almost impossible to trace everything They've done," Kudo continued as Kaito followed. "But I tend to run into them. They gravitate to me. I must be the only… whatever I am… in Tokyo. Possibly Japan. Hattori can hear stuff, sometimes, but he can't see anything, which only really saved me from him finding me out for a little while…" now the face looked a little lonely. He opened the door, inviting them into the Mori's apartment._

_It was neat enough, very homey, but Kaito couldn't see much of it due to the vast number of ghosts in the room._

_Kaito had found, briefly, that he could make (for lack of a better term) physical contact with his father, but they could also pass through one another as he could pass through physical objects, which was lucky because otherwise all of the ghosts in the room would be crushed against each other. There must have been fifty or more. Men, women… there were even a couple of children, Kaito saw with a terrible lurch, playing some form of tag through the walls and ceiling. What could they have done? Mere inconvenient witnesses?_

_Kudo ignored them as he moved through the room. They all shifted slightly to avoid his projected soul- possibly that worked differently from a ghost, he couldn't tell. He simply stared._

_He saw his father's own Poker Face crack as he stared at the vast number of ghosts. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shuuichi wrapping his arms around a pretty lady with long, dark hair and sad eyes. Many of the ghosts looked sad or lonely; those who didn't even practice Poker Face in life stood no chance in death._

_Some weren't bad. Shuuichi, despite being a guy who clearly put effort into being intimidating, obviously did not intend to step out of the fight yet; in fact from what Kaito had gathered he had chosen to be murdered by a CIA NOC in order to cement her position and to allow himself greater flexibility and subtly with which to work through Shinichi. Though he wouldn't say it, it was also evident that he had chosen to do so to see his girlfriend again. He had not parted from the dark-haired girl, by the name of Miyano Akemi, since they had returned to the Agency; she had only briefly disappeared to fetch her parents, who had apparently been hanging around her little sister; he hadn't quite gathered their story but as far as he could tell the whole family had worked for the Syndicate and now, for various and mostly obvious reasons, didn't. _

_There were others who had worked for and been murdered by the Syndicate, such as a middle-aged man with a square face and dark hair, the stern man with the blond hair and slanted eyebrows, and the grumpy old man who refused to talk at all except to the blond man. Most of the others (Toichi excepted, obviously) weren't particularly entertaining company, so Kaito was glad to get away and see the outside world again. Toichi and Shuuichi had both declined to come, Toichi on the basis that he wanted to talk to Shuuichi, who refused to come watch "teen love troubles", though he had made Shinichi swear to summon him should anything Syndicate-related happen, which it apparently did disturbingly frequently._

He had currently been pressed into helping by getting as far away from Kudo as possibly to watch Ran so that Kudo could stalk her at the farthest distance possible. He didn't quite like being ordered around by the not-actually-chibi-tantei, but he didn't want to push his buttons and get sent back to the Agency.

"She's stopped in front of the Mister Donut," he commented. "_Geez_, those smell good… It's just cruelty that I can smell food like that and not eat it, it really is. Oh Kami, they're _buying_ doughnuts…"

"They?" Kudo asked, lingering in the doorway of a bookstore.

"Duck and spy and you'll be able to see, they're coming this way."

Kudo only just got out of the way as the two girls and the one who Kaito figured just might be a boy wandered chattering into view. He glanced at Kudo, whose physical form was tucked out of sight though his soul projection still hovered in Kaito's view. Maybe it was long past time he had a _little _fun with the chibi-tantei…

* * *

Shinichi ducked out of sight just as Ran, Sonoko and Hondo came into view.

He smacked himself on the forehead at his brief moment of surprise. How could he have forgotten that Hondo had returned to Japan? Of course, he'd been careful about it- he'd gotten coloured contact lenses and a haircut so that he didn't look exactly like his sister anymore. Apparently, he'd just hated living in hiding in America. He said he'd missed his friends-

Shinichi suppressed the little surge of jealousy as Ran laughed at something he'd said. He knew who he _really_ missed.

But it wouldn't happen. Ran had that said she'd wait for him, hadn't she? No reason to worry.

Not when he had somebody _else_ to worry about…

He ground his teeth as Kuroba floated over behind the three, first bunny-earing Hondo before doing a handstand on Sonoko's head. Then he reached with insubstantial arms for Ran, an evil grin on his transparent face.

"_If you so much as mime anything lewd,_" Shinichi thought murderously at him, "_You will find out precisely how much of a myth Cerberus really is._" Kuroba froze with a look of horror on his face.

"You can't be serious," he said.

"_Willing to call my bluff_?"

Kuroba backed away from Ran and resumed pretending to pick Hondo's nose. Shinichi quietly grinned in triumph. Finally, he was the one messing around and manipulating the Kaitou Kid, rather than vice-versa as it usually was. There was a vicarious pleasure in it.

"Ah, can we stop here?" Hondo said, stopping in front of the _very bookstore_ where Shinichi was hiding, bringing his focus back to the here and now. "There's a new Saimonji novel that I want…"

"No problem," Ran said as the three turned into the bookshop. Shinichi actually ducked under a cloth-covered table stacked with new books to hide, sending an evil glare at Kuroba as he sniggered. He'd dearly love to just zap him back to the Agency, but he would have to speak aloud to order him back and unfortunately he'd chosen to hide under the table containing the stack of new Saimonji books. He hadn't _quite_ been bluffing about Cerberus, though Kaito would actually have to find his way to Reikai to meet the inu-youkai, which he couldn't do as a ghost- but _he_ didn't know that, so the threat stood.

"I'm going to have a look at the gossip mags, are you coming?" he heard Sonoko say. The cloth lifted a couple of inches off the ground, allowing him to see Ran and Sonoko's loafers and Hondo's larger trainers. He could tell which pair were Sonoko's because the hems of her socks had little Kid icons stitched into them. Kuroba laughed out loud at Shinichi's mental snort of irritation. He'd been told, since he shrunk, that his full-size body still appeared as a sort of ghost hovering over his tiny body, and presumed that his disgust at the sock patterns showed up on that spirit face. He figured it was because his soul and body were mismatched. It was irritating, because he knew from long experience of ghosts that they simply could not hide their emotions, and he felt that his too were probably as plain as day on the face that he couldn't see.

"I think I'd better pick one of these up for Conan-kun," he heard Ran say. He smiled a touch bitterly. She always remembered about Conan-kun… even if she sometimes forgot about Shinichi.

Wasn't that why he'd been so desperate to follow her now? It wasn't just today… more and more, she'd been a little more distant when he called, a little less angry, a little less worried, a little less…

Well, it generally only happened when she was hiding something from him, like that sweater she'd knitted him or her periodic suspicions about his connection to Conan. That had to be it, right?

_It had to be something else's fault, right?_

He watched as Sonoko's feet wandered off, taking their revolting socks with them. Hondo and Ran remained, possibly flipping through the books to check prices or that they were in good condition. Shinichi involuntarily bristled at the thought of the pair being nominally alone together, like a protective watchdog. He did not feel more inclined to let down his guard when Kuroba peeked under the cover of the desk to leer irritatingly at him, clearly ready to exploit his good fortune in not being sealed while it lasted.

"Is… there something you wanted to talk about, Ran-san?" Hondo suddenly said. Shinichi froze. She hadn't said anything- but she'd been curled up on the couch when he'd come back from calling… was she upset after all? Was it still showing?

"Yeah…" she said. Shinichi could hear the hesitation in her voice. He was perfectly still now, not even breathing, desperate to catch the conversation. He _had_ to know what was upsetting Ran! It was probably just his long absences again… dammit, he _had_ to get that antidote, get back to her. "It's… about Shinichi."

"_I knew it!_" he thought, half triumphant for being right and half pissed at himself for upsetting her. Kuroba gave him an amused look, then proceeded to act as if he were peeking up Ran's skirts.

"_All right, you're going back to the Agency…_"

He pulled back. "I'll be good!" he whimpered.

"…talk about it?" he caught Hondo saying kindly. He fisted his hands a little in inadvertent jealously. No, the guy knew how he felt about Ran, knew how Ran felt about him, he was just being a concerned friend… he was just being there for her…

…_like he couldn't…_

"Eisuke-kun… It's just that…" she sniffled, before suddenly wailing, "Eisuke-kun, I think… I don't love him anymore!"

There was a long moment of dumbstruck silence. Shinichi stared unseeing at Ran's feet, his mouth falling open. Did she just… did she say what he thought she…?

It was Eisuke who broke the silence.

"I think you need fries," he said. There was a _thump_ as he dropped the book that he had been intending to buy dropped on the table, then his and Ran's feet disappeared.

It was a long time before Shinichi could unfreeze enough to crawl out from under the table, and when he left the store Kuroba was hovering as far away from him as possible, indicating which way they'd gone. Even he didn't look in the mood for pranks, only wearing an oddly sympathetic expression.

* * *

* * *

_First things first, if anybody likes Touhou Project, Please check out __**Pretztailfan95**__'s new crossover fic, __**Encounters**__. I think it's pretty good (though I don't get a lot of it because I'm not a Touhou fan) but I think fans will love it. Please read and review it!_

_Also, starting today, I've got a little advent calendar I'm going to be posting daily, called "__**24 Ways To Torture Your Partner At Christmas**__". There'll be a different pairing every day for the month, though beware as they begin to get crackish about a week in… and on Christmas Day I have a very special present that I've been holding onto… Merry Christmas!_

_It's just going from bad to worse with Ran, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__… READ WPBIO! How could you forget it? It's my baby! DX_

_Glad it's okay, __**FHP2208, **__I'm just having a harder time writing murders ATM… Aoko and Ran will have to go through and cause a bit of suffering for KaiShin to happen… Glad you like the trailers, and rest assured said trailers will be updated when the fics are published! XD_

_I'm quite sad that Aoyama-sensei made it that Kid actually did tazer Conan, __**nataeiy1**__. It kind of disappoints me. The end of the chapter was so hilarious, though… XD apparently it's a Sonoko-centric arc next :/_

_No chocolate… as if being dead wasn't bad enough, eh, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__? XD I'm not sure if they could or would cover it up… I'm glad you like that one, I may start posting sporadically on that one soon… It's fun to write, since I like Celtic mythology ^_^_

_You're mean, __**Pretztailfan95**__ T_T And Conan can be demonic when he wants to be XDXD Don't you like Eisuke? And I DID say that this will eventually go KaiShin, but Ran and Aoko need to be believably removed first… no point in pretending that they were NEVER in love, it's only a bit AU. Something sad about Heiji and Conan? And of course I read OHSHC- I like the twins, although Mori's cool too And yes, I already plugged the fic, never fear, Pretz-chan! ^_-_

_It's all right, __**Senna-robbins**__, any reviews are welcome! ^_- and correct, the first five chapters are named after the Five Stages of Grief. All of the chapters will have similarly cheery titles XDXD_

_More will happen every week, __**Teldra**__ ^_-_

_Here it is, __**Bloddy raptor**__!_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	7. 6:Acceptance

_**Chapter Six**_

_**Acceptance**_

Ran fiddled listlessly with her fries. She felt like if she opened her mouth, she was going to cry.

"Did you mean… um, Kudo-kun?" Eisuke finally asked, after a prolonged period of uncomfortable silence. She nodded jerkily.

"It's just… more and more, it bothers me less that he's not around," she said quietly, stirring her ketchup with a fry. "It hurts less and less when he says he won't be back soon… I just feel numb, Eisuke-kun. It used to hurt so much, I used to be so happy when he called…"

"You're upset that it doesn't hurt?" Eisuke asked.

"It just means…" Ran dropped her fry, fiddling with her food as she tried to explain. "I loved him for so long, Eisuke-kun. How can that just… go?"

Eisuke was quiet for a while, staring into his milkshake thoughtfully. Ran watched him desperately, longing for an answer to her question. She needed an answer. She needed to know what was going on. She needed to know what to change.

"You really loved him," Eisuke said finally, "but he's not quite the person you were in love with, is he? You're both changing as people. Everybody changes. But you're not doing it together, so suddenly all you know of him is an old model, and that person isn't the one who calls or visits on occasion." Ran flinched. It was true; more and more, on his scarce appearances she felt that she didn't know Shinichi. She kept waiting for him to come back, but…

"You keep waiting for him to return," Eisuke continued, as if echoing her thoughts, "but he won't. Not the Shinichi you're waiting for. I know you guys loved each other, but… you're drifting apart, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Ran whispered, afraid to admit it because it made it all the more real. "It doesn't stop. All the time…"

"Slow and irreversible as continental drift," Eisuke says with a nod. "You've given everything to him, to waiting for him, but… you have to move on, someday, right? If he just comes and goes as a dream… you have to wake up sometime."

"I don't want to, Eisuke-kun," she whispered. "I don't want it to just go. I mean, you held onto your sister for all these years…"

"That's… different," Eisuke said slowly. "She's my _sister_. She's the only family I have. I'm half surprised and half not that you and Kudo-kun are falling apart, but maybe, in the end… it wasn't meant to be."

Ran remembered her mother's voice. "_It's foolish to cherish illusions about somebody simply because they're _familiar_._"

"Maybe… you're right," Ran said softly. "Shinichi… he was always there for me. _Always_. He was a part of my life. But now, he's never there when I need him and slowly… I don't need him, not anymore. He's my best friend and I love him, but I'm not… _in_ love with him. Not anymore." Her voice broke as she admitted it, making it a reality. Things had changed. Her life had changed. Shinichi was gone, and while she wanted him back she didn't _need_ him back.

With a soft sob, she leaned over onto the table and began to cry in earnest. Eisuke watched her nervously for a moment, before resting a hand tentatively on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, to remind her that _somebody_ was there with her.

* * *

Neither Eisuke nor Ran noticed as Shinichi ran from the booth next to theirs, his height hiding him. He had to run. He had to go, before he did something stupid like brain Hondo. He dearly wanted to.

But he shouldn't, and he couldn't. He was _right_, dammit. Shinichi had taken Ran for granted, thinking that she'd always wait for him. Ran was a beautiful, kind, loving person, but even she had her limits. And those qualities were the very reason that she didn't deserve to be left alone, left waiting.

She didn't love him anymore. And he had only himself to blame.

He could feel Kuroba following him. He glanced up at the ghost, who was watching him with a pained expression.

"Tantei-kun-" he began, but the nickname only reminded Shinichi of his height, his predicament, the unavoidable reason that Ran had drifted away from him. The reason that he'd _lost_ her.

"Leave me _**ALONE**_!" He demanded, the force in his voice causing Kuroba to instantly vanish, spirited back to the Mori Detective Agency. Alone, blissfully, peacefully, horribly alone like he so rarely was, Shinichi kept running.

He was alone. Ran had drifted too far from him. She didn't need him. She needed others, those who _were_ there for her, like Sonoko or Kazuha or- he swallowed irrational rage at the thought- Hondo. She could be happy with them. She _was_ happy with them. They looked after her when he hadn't.

He'd taken that for granted. He'd taken _her_ for granted. Now he was paying the price.

He ran to the only place he could think to go, the only place where he could feel secure, comforted, pretend for a while that he could pick his old life up again at a moment's notice. He ran all the way home.

* * *

Kaito blinked in surprise. He was still reeling over what he had heard in that fast-food joint- what _Kudo_ had heard. Ran's words were like some echo of his greatest nightmares about Aoko, about pushing her away; whereas Kudo's face had been… indescribable. Getting shot hadn't hurt as much as the emotions that that expression clearly belied. Kaito had tried to talk to him, to explain that he understood, driven by an inexplicably powerful desire to comfort the other, but it was no good; Kudo had yelled at him, then he'd been _pushed_, then…

He was back here, at the Mori Detective Agency, with a few of the other ghosts staring quizzically at him and the rest drifting around or chatting and generally ignoring him.

"Kaito? What's wrong?" Toichi asked. Kaito remembered that, without any well-trained facial muscles, Poker Face was a bogey.

"She basically dumped him," he said to his father and the perplexed-looking Akai. "Worse than that. He spied on her and caught her tearfully pouring out to another guy that she'd fallen out of love with Kudo." All of the ghosts turned to this piece of gossip.

"Oh, no," one woman gasped, her hands over her mouth. "She can't possibly have. I've _seen_ those two together, we've all heard the phone calls…"

"So where's the broken-hearted Meitantei?" the blond man with slanted brows said in something that seemed to be an attempt to mix a sneer with genuine concern.

"Dunno," Kaito said, still a little shaken as to what transpired. If the ghosts' shocked muttering was anything to go by, it had the air of a harbinger of the Apocalypse about it. "He just ran off, fast as he could. When I tried to talk to him, he sent me back here… but he was…"

"Kami above," another ghost muttered. "If there could be anything more unbelievable than ghosts being real…"

Toichi touched Kaito's arm, pulling him through the ceiling, away from the shocked and chattering ghosts to the peace of the roof. "You seem pretty shaken, and not just because nobody expected anything like this."

"Because, well…" Kaito twisted his hands absentmindedly. He didn't have any doves or juggling balls or even cards anymore, which left him extremely fidgety. "I guess it was like a preview of some of my worst fears. It's... unsettling, to say the least." He shifted a little, though all discomfort was purely emotional, nothing physical to get uncomfortable.

"Because you've always feared the results of keeping somebody you love away," Toichi replied quietly.

"I don't get it," Kaito sighed in frustration. "I've known Kudo properly for all of a day. How do I _know_ how much this has gotta be hurting him?"

"Perhaps because, nevertheless, you have seen him and Mori Ran before," his father suggested, "and while you didn't consciously recognize what they were to each other, some part of you still realized, because… you said it yourself. You have seen a cracked mirror of your own worst fears."

"That's what makes it worse," Kaito said, running his fingers restlessly through his hair, right into his insubstantial forehead in his nervousness. "From the way she talked, they were practically _together_. You saw his real face when he talked about her. If two who were so close can fall apart like that…" he swallowed nervously. Toichi placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture meant to comfort despite the impossibility of true physical contact.

"I k now," he said quietly. "Your greatest fears mirror mine when I was courting Minami. They were invalidated, but in your case…" Kaito glanced at his father's transparent hand, making only the memory of contact with his wispy remains.

"It doesn't matter anyway, does it?" he said, laughing harshly. "Perhaps it's better that she gives me up. I'm only here until the Shadow Syndicate is destroyed, after all. We can't ever see each other again. Once They're gone… I'll be too. Nothing will matter much anymore. Not to me."

* * *

Shinichi lay curled limply on the dusty bedspread. How long since he'd slept in this room? How long since the house had been cleaned? Ran had done that. Had she dropped that, eventually, recognizing it for the needless burden it was? Had he taken that for granted too?

He'd dropped the stupid glasses the second he'd gotten in the door, dropped the shoes, dropped the watch, dropped all the trappings of his weak and helpless little form, dropped them like he wished he could drop the glass wall that had formed between him and Ran. He could still see her, every day, but he couldn't touch her, couldn't reach her through the glass, and every day it grew thicker, every day more impenetrable, every day swallowing his voice until she couldn't hear him either.

Even if the glass melted, they could never be that close again. She had decided that. _He_ had decided that day that he let his detective instincts take place over comforting her, every damn time his detective side took precedence over _her_…

He just lay there, guilt and grief spinning in his head. It was going to hurt. He needed to let it hurt to get past it, to let it go. But he didn't want to let go. So he lay in stasis, as if in some cryogenic wait for the time machine that would allow him to stop himself running down that alley, slap himself silly and send himself back to Ran. Frozen in his frozen room.

It was all still there; unfinished homework on his desk, tenth-grade textbooks piled underneath, a long-gone month on a yellowed calendar, a now out-of-date computer switched off but waiting. Even the couple of times he'd slept here, on brief drug trials, he hadn't moved much. As if, if he left the room as it was, when he got back to normal he could come back in and step back into his life where he had left off. It was all here, waiting for him.

_She wasn't_.

He suddenly felt furious, at himself, at Ran, at Gin, at Haibara, at everyone even vaguely involved with his predicament. He rolled off of the bed, kicking away the desk chair so that it rolled away with enough force to hit the desk and knock a number of things off, pencils and paper falling to the ground. He grabbed one of the textbooks piled on the floor by the desk and flung it at the two-year-old calendar, knocking it off of the wall into a heap on the ground, where it crumpled when he threw another book at it. Consumed by rage and grief and fear, suppressed for two years as he told himself it wouldn't last, he tore apart his room as he railed against the old life that he know admitted that he might never return to- and right now, barely wanted to.

A football rolled out and ended up being kicked at the old computer, hard enough to crack the monitor even without shoes. His sole weapon began pinballing around the room at his kick, knocking aside dusty books from their shelves, too-large clothes from his wardrobe, old pictures from his desk…

The ball rebounded off of his desk and rolled out of the door, into the hallway. Shinichi couldn't retrieve it. Suddenly he felt drained, exhausted, the rage gone as fast as it had come. He stood in the middle of his room, breathing heavily, surveying the destruction. His gaze caught one of the photos that he had knocked aside, one of him and Ran the day they started High School, crouching by the Teimuzu in their new uniforms. In the finest of heartbroken clichés, the glass over the photo had cracked down the middle, separating him from Ran. Separating them forever.

The sheets had fallen from his bed. Without the energy to even climb up, he curled up on them, rolling them around him like a cocoon as he returned to stasis.

A piercing gaze watched him for a long while, before withdrawing. For now.

* * *

* * *

_It's all for KaiShin, __**FHP2208…**__ but it's still sad to write. Yeah, the thing with Aoko won't really get worse, but both still have feelings to work out. Glad you liked the ghosts, I wasn't sure how that scene would come out…_

_He didn't see it coming because he didn't want to see it coming, __**Nataeiy1**__. And now it's too late…_

_*offers tissues to __**Marie Ravenclaw**__* It's sad, but it's all for a good cause… KaiShin!_

_That's what Kaito's for, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__ XDXDXD I think Koorii-chan's getting into my head, it's getting easier to write depressed Shinichi…_

_You can't really know how Conan was feeling, __**Pretztailfan95**__… I didn't write that section from his POV and I didn't describe his face. He can't let his feelings get the better of him, though. Soon he's going to find out just how dangerous that will be for him._

_It's not that Ran never loved him, __**SetoJouFan,**__ she just doesn't any more. We're all gutterbrained inside XDXDXD_

_Hajimemashite, __**HealingHelper227**__, glad you like it!_

_I've left everyone with someone else, __**Topaz-Tantei**__… I don't like leaving people alone. Glad you like the trailer! And yeah… KAITO MOVIE!!!!!! ** XDXD I can't wait… have you seen the promo posters? IS THAT KAITO KISSING RAN?! :D_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	8. 7:Mourning

_**Chapter Seven**_

_**Mourning**_

"Tadaimaa," Ran called, popping her head into the office. As she'd expected, her father was snoring again, thankfully not surrounded by beer cans this time. She checked her reflection in the darkened window before trying to wake him up. The redness was gone from her eyes, which had been vivid and puffy by the time she had done crying.

_She'd spent ages in the bathroom of the fast food joint cleaning herself up with cold water afterwards, and was surprised when Sonoko had appeared, apparently having noticed that they'd gone missing and come looking for them, now looking more solemn than Ran had ever seen her._

"_Eisuke-kun told me," she said simply. "Ran… I'm so sorry." That alone was enough to break down Ran's slowly rebuilt composure, and she flung her arms around her best friend as she started crying again._

It had taken _ages_ to get past the weeping and clean up. Still, it felt oddly good to be done crying; she had mourned an old love that had been suffering a slow death, and in mourning she could let it go. She still worried about Shinichi, but as a friend, nothing more; it no longer hurt her not to see him, it no longer hurt her to watch him walk away.

Of course, she still had to tell _him_…

She abandoned any attempt to wake her father and headed upstairs to the apartment. How could she tell him? Of course, she'd never known if he actually held any feelings for her, not for certain… If she explained things… wouldn't it be better to explain things, get it out in the open? Friends didn't keep secrets from each other. She had to tell him… if only to release him too.

She frowned as she entered the apartment. It was dark and silent. That was odd. It was very late by now- shouldn't Conan-kun be back from playing with his friends? Unless they'd gotten hooked on one of Agasa-Hakase's new games again…

She decided to call the professor, just to check. Maybe, some part of her hoped, Shinichi would be there too. She had to explain things face-to-face, if only to punch him if it turned out he'd been leading her on. He sometimes dropped by Agasa-Hakase's…

He always did, didn't he? Whenever he came back, he never came to her first…

"_Moshi moshi?_"

"Agasa-Hakase?" she asked, injecting some cheer into her voice. She didn't want to explain things to _everyone_ before Shinichi, after all. "Is Conan-kun there? He said he was going around to play a few hours ago…"

"_He did…? Oh, oh yes!_" Agasa said uncertainly. "_Goodness, is it really that time? I'll need to call everyone's parents, it's far too late to start sending people home… Though I could give everyone lifts…_"

"Conan-kun can stay there for tonight if he wants to," Ran said encouragingly. She felt sort of relieved. The boy was highly perceptive, and always seemed to notice that she was upset… and she had already had comfort and company. She needed a little while to deal with her decisions alone. "Just so long as he gets to school in the morning. Goodnight!"

"_Ah, goodnight, Ran-kun_." Ran hung up, feeling relieved. Then she took a deep breath, steeling herself to call Shinichi. She just needed to find out the next time he could come home, after all…

After several rings, though, she was forwarded to voicemail. She almost laughed. Of course. It was really late, so he was either working or finally sleeping- he worked far too hard.

"Shinichi?" she said after the beep. "I hope the voicemail means you're getting some sleep, you work far too hard. Anyway, I have to talk to you about… something important. Will you be able to come back to Tokyo soon? I… I don't think it's something we can talk about on the phone." She swallowed. "Come home soon, alright? I'll… see you." She put the phone down with a sigh. Alright. No going back now.

* * *

"Ai-kun?"

Ai didn't glance up from her computer as the professor entered her lab. She was onto something here and didn't really want to draw herself out of it. "What?" she answered absentmindedly.

"Did Shinichi-kun come through here?" he asked. "I was out all afternoon, but Ran-kun called and said that he left but hasn't come home…"

That drew Ai out of her daze pretty quickly. She spun around, trying to calm the urge to panic. She was being paranoid. Kudo _always_ used the "playing at Agasa-hakase's" excuse when he had something better to do…

But he generally _told_ Agasa-Hakase when he did…

She suddenly felt calmed, slightly. Somehow, she got the feeling that he was alright. She trotted up the stairs to look out of the window, to Kudo's house. All of the windows were dark. "Okiya" occasionally vanished for a couple of days, so he was away just now, but maybe…

"Are Kudo-kun's house keys by the door?" she asked. Agasa wandered over to the doorway, then came back, shaking his head.

"He must have gone to his house," he said, looking a little confused. "I wonder why."

"Maybe he just needs to decompress," Ai suggested, returning to her basement, satisfied. There was a reason that she liked working alone. Even Kudo would need to be alone sometimes...

She got back to work, falling into her own version of deep-hack mode fairly quickly. Absorbed by her work, her connection to reality was a little hazy- which might be why she occasionally had hallucinations of her parents and her sister, and a dark man that she didn't recognize.

Death hung around her in the cloying shadows.

* * *

"Godammit! What the _hell_ is he _thinking_?!"

Kaito jumped as Akai materialized by his elbow. Some of the ghosts popped in and out at will; it seemed those who had been dead awhile could switch anchors without having to be near them. Kaito had tried focusing on Aoko, but it was difficult work; he'd twitched a couple of times when trying to switch to his mother, but he still couldn't do it. He supposed he just hadn't been dead long enough to work it out; nobody had been able to explain quite how to do it. The Spirit Realm, he was quickly deciding, needed its own language, because he already knew six and none of them seemed to cut it.

Which all ended up leaving him with nothing much better to do than brood and float around the spherical radius that encompassed the Mori Detective Agency, the café below, a little way into the street and a room or two out of the buildings on either side. It wasn't much fun being dead. He'd gotten used to some of the ghosts popping in and out from visiting relatives or the like, but somehow Akai managed to truly be a creepy ghost.

"What's wrong?" Toichi asked, calmly regarding the malevolent aura surrounding the dark ghost.

"Not only did that idiot go off _alone_, he went _home_! _Dammit_…"

"What's wrong with going home?" Kaito asked, sharing a confused glance with his father.

"Because about a year ago, he let a gut named Okiya Subaru stay there because he was homeless," Akai growled, "or at least, that's what both of them are letting everyone think. Who knows his real name and who cares… but his codename is Bourbon."

"Bourbon?" Toichi said with narrowed eyes. "You're not telling me he let one of _them_-?"

"Oh yes he did," Akai half-snarled. "Which I can actually understand. He'd already locked away all personal effects, and the guy clearly already knows who he is, so might as well keep him at close range to keep an eye on him. It makes sense. But going back there when he's not only now physically vulnerable, but emotionally vulnerable… and going back _alone_… for a genius, that kid's an _idiot_!"

"Then we need to get to him, just to keep an eye on him, right?" Kaito said, suddenly fearful for the tiny tantei. If things couldn't go any _more_ wrong right now…

* * *

"What if I had _proof_, Camembert? Proof that it worked?"

"_Then I would be very happy to see it, Bourbon. However, for now, given that every test subject we've given the last prototype that Sherry left to have died, and we've been unable to make any further developments, you'll forgive me for sticking with the hypothesis that we have no working prototype yet._"

"Oh, I'll get you your proof," Bourbon replied with a cold, private smile. "And not only that… I'll get you Sherry."

"_Bring her to me first, will you? Gin wants that woman dead but frankly, we're making no headway here without her._"

"Trust me, I know how to ensure her cooperation."

"_I won't be holding my breath._" The new head of Project Pandora's lab division hung up. Bourbon shrugged noncommittally. He'd always gone with his intuition and been rewarded for it. The little _what ifs_ were his forte and his strength, and were about to pay off big-time.

_When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth._

Why had it never been considered as a possibility- that the Prototype Detective, even as a fluke or anomaly, might have achieved its purpose? If it had made a victim younger? Gin had scoured the room for escape routes and found none- none that an adult could have made it out of. But given the intent of APTX 4869 and the fact that there was a small garbage chute in the room, just large enough for a _child_ to get through, presented an obvious possibility to Bourbon's analytical mind.

If Sherry had grown some years younger- and, given her youth, certainly a considerable amount smaller- then her escape from locked cuffs and an almost sealed room were explained. An improbable hypothesis, true, but not impossible.

Following that hunch, he checked grade schools throughout Japan for new arrivals shortly after Sherry's escape. He ruled out middle and high schools after examining the chute and coming to the conclusion that she would have had to have reverted to a fairly small child to make it. Searches for little girls turned up plenty of results- but only one with forged documents. A quick move to Tokyo and a little observation made the result clear.

The improbable hypothesis was the truth.

He'd been surprised to find Kudo Shinichi as well, though, considering that he'd been confirmed dead and all. But a double-check proved that he'd been confirmed dead by _Sherry_…

Who was now hanging around with the former Kudo Shinichi at school and hiding within reach of his home. Coincidence? Being of a detective's frame of mind, he disliked coincidences.

"_Still, his friends will be watching out for him tonight,_" he mused. "_It would be rash to move now. I have time to wait. Whatever has happened, it does not look like he will recover from it soon…_"

* * *

The phone vibrated a few times before stilling, the buzzing replaced by his own voice on his voicemail message. Shinichi rolled over to gaze listlessly at the phone as Ran's voice came out of it, asking if she could talk to him.

Kami. She still had to tell him. He'd have to go through this again.

He stared at the phone for a long time, but he couldn't bring himself to call her back. If he did, he'd have to set a date to see her again, and when that happened… it would be the point of no return, as if it wasn't already.

He looked around, registering his destroyed room. "_All right. I've had my tantrum like a stupid kid. Time to face facts. She doesn't want me anymore, and damned if I can't blame her…_" he sighed heavily, feeling a lump in his throat, but no tears were forthcoming. Dammit, he'd _deliberately_ kept her at this length. He'd _deliberately_ kept her in the dark. If they'd fallen apart, it was nobody's fault but his own, was it? And throwing a tantrum and going into a huff wouldn't fix it.

He started picking things up. He wasn't ready to have that conversation with Ran, not yet. He knew he'd have to, and soon… but not yet. He just wasn't ready. If he tried to talk to her when he wasn't ready, he'd just fall apart all over again. He probably would anyway, but in private. He didn't want Ran to see how she could tear him apart, simply because she'd tear herself apart as a result with blame and guilt.

She shouldered the world's burdens. He'd decided long ago not to let her near his. That was why he had to be ready to protect her again- he owed it to her. What kind of best friend would he be if he didn't?

Suddenly, he no longer wanted to be alone.

The second he allowed it, Akai popped up next to him, along with the two Kids, all looking extremely worried. Shinichi almost laughed.

"Sorry," he said. "And don't worry, Bourbon isn't around…" Even as he said it, he realized that in the state he'd let himself get in, he wouldn't have noticed if Bourbon had been in, and that would have left him very vulnerable indeed…

"So this is your place?" Kuroba said, already looking around. "Looks like it's classy when it's not a wreck."

"Yuusaku-kun is a very highly regarded mystery writer," his father explained, before chuckling. "And when Yuki-chan was an actress, she was the best of the best…"

"You were her sensei, weren't you?" Shinichi said, drawing the conversation into desultory small talk as he cleaned up his room. Ran wasn't the only one he was beholden to. He had a mission. And he owed it to her to end things quickly with her, just as he owed it to the dead to end the Syndicate quickly.

He wasn't ready quite yet. But he'd have to be soon. What choice did he have?

* * *

* * *

_XDXD Beware, __**nataeiy1… **__Promos LIE! DX IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! … The canon world, anyways XD time to start building the KaiShin! XDXD_

_Shinichi'll be at risk if he doesn't watch himself, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__… but Kaito'll be there to watch his back…_

_It's all for the KaiShin, __**FHP2208!**__ But it is so sad to write… I think Koorii's getting into my head XDXD Nahh, but you can't drag pure happy out into a long fic… that's what angst is for! But I like happy endings too much not to do one. C'mon, KaiShin… XD_

_It probably sounds mean, but I'm kinda glad, __**Phantom-Akiko**__… it affirms to me that I'm writing it well if the emotions are real. ^_^_

_Not handling it well, __**bloddy raptor…**__ he's acting like it is, but the wound won't heal easily…_

_Hugs are always good, __**SetoJouFan**__. ^_^ Glad I wrote Hondo well as well, he's such a rare character that it's a little difficult to know if he's IC…_

_Arigato, __**llamaglamasama**__! The piercing gaze was not a friendly one…_

_*offers tissues to __**Pretztailfan95**__*_

_Oh, Kaito'll be there for him, don't you worry, __**Teldra**__… ^_-_

_Here's more, you needy brat, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__! XDXDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	9. 8:Tears

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**Tears**_

"I'm not going," Aoko called. "You can't make me. I'm going back to sleep." She rolled over, pulling the covers up over her face. She'd thought, yesterday, that she'd needed school to stabilize herself, some sort of normality to counteract just how much of a surreal nightmare her life had suddenly become; but being surrounded by people, by Keiko's constant probing, by Hakuba's tactful questions, by Akako's odd glances, and having to act like nothing was wrong… it was too hard. She couldn't do it for another day. She wanted to be alone; maybe crying for a while would help. Or smashing something. Whatever worked.

"Aoko?" She remained still at her father's voice, hoping to fool him into thinking that she had fallen asleep again already. He was always busy, he'd probably leave soon. To her surprise, though, she suddenly felt a weight on the edge of the bed as he sat down next to her, like he used to when she was in grade school and ill. When she was little, when she or her mother were ill- or at least when her mother let it show when she was ill, so often she hid it until finally it was too late- if he was home, he'd call in for a day off and then sit on the edge of her bedding, chatting to her, bringing her soup and medicine.

Then her mother had died and even though Kid was staying in Japan, he was working more than ever. By middle school, he'd just call occasionally throughout the day. But Kaito had often visited, pulling tricks and cheering her up and generally hanging around for so long that he caught whatever she had…

She gasped as she tried to swallow tears. She didn't want to cry right now. Not yet.

But her father wasn't leaving.

"Aoko… I'm sorry," he said to her surprise. Aoko glanced around in surprise, sniffling a little as she tried to restrain tears.

"Sorry?" she said in confusion.

"I feel like… this is my fault," he said uncomfortably. Aoko gave a weak laugh.

"That's silly," she said. "I mean, there was no way you could know that that sniper…"

"I didn't know, no," her father said slowly. "But… I should have. At the very least, I suspected… but I ignored my suspicions…"

"You… suspected…" Aoko's throat went dry. "That Kaito… was…?"

"I tried to write it off as paranoia, as spending too much time with that Hakuba kid," her father grumbled. "But it's just that… well, Toichi-kun died and a week later there was a Kid heist where the Kid never turned up. It was just a coincidence, I told myself. I told myself again when the Kid reappeared- after all, Toichi-kun is definitely dead. I deliberately ignored the fact that the Kid now didn't have to be the same person as then..." he glanced sadly at Aoko, with an expression that she instantly recognized.

"Because I didn't want to believe that my best friend was a criminal," he finished quietly, "and that his death might not have been an accident… and there was nothing I could do about it." Aoko sat up, staring at her father, surprised by the confession which sounded so like one of the many jumbled thoughts which had been wandering around her skull.

"It's obvious now that Toichi-kun was murdered," he said quietly, "and that Kaito-kun was trying to find his murderers. He wouldn't have had to do that if I'd managed to push through a proper investigation into Toichi-kun's death, and that wouldn't have been necessary at all if I'd just found out before, confronted him… then Kaito-kun wouldn't have been the Kid, or…" he broke off when Aoko suddenly threw her arms around him.

"It's not your fault, Otou-san," she mumbled, feeling the tears start to leak. "It's all those stupid, lying magicians… it's not you're fault they're dead… it's the stupid, evil snipers…"

"Who aren't getting away, I swear," she heard her father growl, putting his arms around her shoulders and rocking her soothingly as she began to cry. "Since Kaito-kun's not going anywhere anytime soon, I've redirected the Task Force into investigating those snipers… there's been some noise about it from the higher-ups, but never mind them."

"I know," Aoko sniffed. "I just… it's not your fault, okay? Don't blame yourself. I just wish… I didn't blame Kaito…"

"You can't help it," her father said soothingly, stroking her hair like a child. "It's very difficult when your best friend betrays your trust… though I think Kaito-kun betrayed you in a way that Toichi-kun couldn't betray me." He gave a sad little laugh. "And it's easier to forgive the dead."

"Do I… have to forgive him?" Aoko asked weakly. "He was my best friend, but… this is too much. I wish I could forgive him, but I just _can't_, it hurts too much…"

"You don't have to forgive him," her father said, to her surprise. "It's your choice. Maybe you can't right now, but maybe you'll be able to when you've calmed down a little… and maybe you can't. All I'll say is that if you do forgive him, you better be damn sure he doesn't hurt you again."

"…Okay," Aoko sniffed. "_I just need a little time to decide…_"

"I've got to go to work and make these bastards pay for putting us all through this," he sighed, kissing her on the head. "Will you be all right on your own?"

"Y-yeah," Aoko sighed. "I'll be fine. I swear. And I'll feel a lot better once they're in jail."

"All right then…" he left, leaving Aoko to roll back over and hug her pillow thoughtfully.

"_Because Ojisan died…_" she thought, staring unseeing at the floral pattern of her wallpaper. "_That's why he… he became the Kid. Ojisan was so important to him… I understand why he felt he couldn't let them get away… so why couldn't he just…_" this was the part that gnawed at her, that stopped her from trying to excuse Kaito's actions.

"_Why couldn't he just _tell_ me?_"

* * *

"Conan-kun? Conan-kun!"

Kudo didn't appear to be registering the dark-haired little girl's voice until the blonde one snapped her fingers sharply in front of his eyes. To Kaito's surprise, she too had some kind of spirit clone hovering over her, as well as a couple of ghosts stalking her. She must be Haibara Ai. Last night, mostly to distract Kudo a little, he and Kaito had swapped stories- though Kudo carefully avoided making any mention of Mori Ran. He was hiding his upset fairly well from the real kids, though it did make him zone out a little, but his real face displayed no such restraint. It was twisted in pain to the extent that Kaito couldn't even look at it anymore; it was even more disorienting given that any time he looked at Kudo anyway he felt like he was looking in a mirror.

"Sorry, what's wrong?" Kudo said, pasting a thin smile onto his kiddy face. Ai's faces had twin expressions of frustration.

"Ayumi-chan is trying to _talk_ to you," the little scientist said loftily. "Pull yourself together! What's wrong with you? You suddenly whirl through and spend the whole night at home… what happened? Does Mori-chan know where you are?"

"She knows I spent the night at Agasa-Hakase's and I'm coming home tonight," Kudo grumbled. Then he pulled up the smile again as he trotted forward to talk to Ayumi. "Gomen, Ayumi-chan. What's wrong?"

Ai narrowed her eyes calculatingly on him.

"I'm not certain whether she'd be happy or sad if she knew," the ghost-woman said distantly. She had blonde hair and glasses, and looked mostly like Miyano Akemi. Then she glanced over at Kaito and Toichi. "Well, you're new. Akemi, dear, why don't you introduce us?"

"Oh, of course," Akemi said. "Okaa-san, Otou-san, this is Kuroba Kaito and his father Kuroba Toichi, the Kaitou Kids. Kuroba-kun, Kuroba-san, these are my parents, Miyano Atsushi and Miyano Elena."

"Pleasure to meet you," Toichi said, automatically kissing Elena's hand. A little colour rose into her transparent cheeks.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what happened to you guys?" Kaito asked curiously, tuning out Kudo as he bickered with the little boys, the skinny Mitsuhiko and the tubby Genta that Kaito had only seen on a couple of cases.

"The Syndicate became suspicious that we intended to leave," Atsushi said gruffly. "They decided it was too dangerous to let us do so and tampered with our travel arrangements."

"Our plane flew into a mountain," Elena supplied. "We died."

"And you?" Atsushi said. "Being dead and in isolation before that, I'm afraid we're not really up to scratch with who you are beyond that Snakebite wanted you dead."

"Trapdoor," Toichi said. "Not pleasant. Kaito was shot and his body's currently lying empty in hospital…" Kaito drifted off as the adults began small talk about the nature of death. It wasn't a topic he liked to dwell on. Possibly because his body was still vegetating in a hospital bed rather than being six feet under or cinders, he still hadn't quite come to terms with the fact that he was _dead_. He had, however, come to terms with the fact that he was bored. Without so much as a juggling ball or a bottle of hair dye, his opportunities for the usual pranks that he used to relieve boredom were _very_ limited, and while he could probably mess around with Kudo he didn't really feel inclined to right now. Nobody else could see him. He was used to nobody seeing him, but only when he didn't _want_ them to.

He really, really wanted somebody to see him right now. He didn't need to be the centre of attention. He just wanted people to stop walking through him like he wasn't there. It reminded him that, essentially, he wasn't.

"So what're you two doing here?"

"Akemi always likes to follow her sister," Akai said. He seemed slightly less scary around his girlfriend. "I'd want to watch Kudo just now, anyway. He needs to stay focused, and somehow I get the feeling that he's not."

"Well, I can imagine how badly it hurts," Kaito admitted. "To push away the person who means the most to you, always for their own good…"

"_You're so cold, like this ice cream…_"

"It hurts when you realize you no longer have to push," Kaito said quietly. "If you don't catch your balance, you'll fall…"

* * *

Minami carefully slipped the flowers into the little blue vase. Only the police and she knew that Kaito was here, or what had happened to him, but his classmates had noticed that he was off and get-well wishes had been arriving at the house for lack of anywhere else to send them. She shifted them back and forth for longer than she probably needed to, for something to do. She didn't want to leave Kaito as long as visiting hours were still open, but what else was there to do but hold his hand and talk to him, praying that he could hear?

The doctors said that if they kept registering no brain activity, they'd have to declare him brain-dead. If that was the case, he'd never wake up. Never…

She sat down as the room spun, clutching her son's hand as if she could pull him back.

"Please, Kaito," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "I can't bury you too. I couldn't bear it. Please…"

She had watched Toichi go out, night after night, to do what he thought was right because nobody else could. She had borne that easily because it was all a game to him, and his lighthearted nature was infectious; even when people were threatening him, there was alertness but no fear. He was the Kaitou Kid. Nobody could catch him- not the police, not Interpol, and certainly no shadowy criminals.

Kuroba Toichi could be caught.

She'd managed through that because Kaito needed her. Her baby boy was so lost without his father. He needed her. She needed him to need her. She'd been so lost when Toichi died, that if she didn't have Kaito to look after she really didn't know what would have happened to her. But Kaito had needed her, so she had borne the grief for her child. She'd watched him grow up into a playful young man with a devilish nature so like his father's.

Then he had gone out into the moonlight too, and she'd borne that too. It was harder, because she knew now that he could get hurt or killed. But she knew that he had to. Toichi's death had hurt them both so much, and somewhere inside it had kept burning Kaito. He couldn't let it go, or it would destroy him. She had watched him go out and prayed.

Now she could lose him too.

She bent over her son, sobbing heavily.

"Wake up, Kaito," she begged him. "Wake up and escape. Wake up and flee. Wake up and go to jail. I don't care which. Even if you have to run and I don't see you again for a decade… I need to know that you're alive, Kaito. I need to know that you're out there somewhere, and alive, and safe. You're all I have, ever since Toichi died. I can't lose you too. There'll be nothing left… nothing…"

Kaito did not wake.

* * *

* * *

_Christmas on Friday! Wow, so soon? I hope you're reading my "24 Ways To Annoy Your Partner At Christmas", because there's going to be a special present on the big day… Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!_

_Kai-chan will have to keep a good eye on Shin-chan, won't he, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__? ^_- Ai can't quite see the dead, but she can sense her family's presence somewhat. They are her family, after all._

_Bittersweet, isn't it, __**Nataeiy1**__? You want it to last forever, but you want to know how it's going to end, too… and the fanfic community is going to go crazy with "What happened next" stories when the manga ends… XDXDXDXD_

_Angst again, __**Pretztailfan95**__! AAAANGST! XDXDXD Bourbon… DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUN! XDXD_

_I know what you mean, __**Phantom-Akiko**__… oh, but Bourbon's not gone away. Not yet…_

_It's all good for now, __**SetoJouFan**__… Kaito's mission statement is to create laughs whenever, wherever XDXDXD_

_Bourbon has Plans, __**llamaglamasama**__… But of course, he doesn't know about the ghosts… ^_-_

_Are you a Bourbon fangirl, __**Topaz-tantei**__? XDXD_

_KaiShin fangirls at the ready, __**FHP2208**__! XDXD Glad you like the ghosts… they're all there for Shin-chan _ _Kaito and Aoko are kinda falling apart of their own accord, due to the whole being dead thing… XDXDXD_

_I'm hoping that I'm not making Ran too OOC, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__… and Ai doesn't have a spirit sense like Shinichi, she can just vaguely sense her family because they're her family ^_^_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	10. 9:Lilies

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**Lilies**_

"I'm worried about Conan-kun," Ran said, tapping her pen absentmindedly on the paper. _Taptaptaptap. Taptaptaptap. Taptaptaptap._

"Something up with the kid?" Sonoko asked. Ran tipped her head a little.

"I think so… I don't know…" she frowned at her notebook. Most people had tidied off and wandered off when the interval bell rang, but Ran had remained at her desk, lost in thought. "He's been happy enough, but he just seems a little… distant…"

"Have you talked to Kudo-kun yet?" Eisuke couldn't help asking. The girls stared at him. Well, to them it _was_ a kind of random query. He sought for a link. "I mean, you said he and Kudo-kun are friends or something, right?"

"Cousins, I think," Ran said with a nod. "No… I called Shinichi and left a voicemail asking him to come back so we could talk. But that was a few days ago, and he hasn't called or visited…"

"He sometimes gets that kid to spy on you," Sonoko said thoughtfully. "Maybe he already knows you're dumping him and doesn't want to face you!"

"Don't put it that way, Sonoko," Ran groaned. "It sounds so _mean_. He's still my best friend. He's still one of the most important people in my life. It's just that… he'll never get _more_ important, you know? I've accepted that now. I just want to tell him…"

Eisuke remained silent as Sonoko comforted her friend. He couldn't help feeling guilty. "_Don't be stupid. Her feelings fell apart on their own. You just helped her face that as a friend, right?_"

He still couldn't help the desire to help her face it as a little more, though. Ran was the kindest person he'd ever met. He hated seeing her so sad. She'd never cheer up until she got closure with Kudo.

"_Why's he taking so long to get back to her?_" he wondered, frustrated. "_If somehow, he knows… he's got to know that he can't keep avoiding it. He sees her every day. He has to see how much this is hurting her. For her sake… why doesn't he just _talk_ to her?_"

* * *

"Why don't you just _talk_ to her?"

"Shut up, Kuroba," Kudo demanded. To his frustration, Kaito did. He shot his father a glance. Toichi rolled his eyes but tried anyway.

"Kaito's right, you can't keep dragging this out," he said. "It's been a week already. You have to know that putting it off won't do any good."

"I know!" Kudo snapped, before clamming up as Takagi appeared, calling for him. He was being questioned about the murder he'd run across yesterday in the bookstore. He was still frustrated about that one. He'd been so distracted by thinking about Ran that he'd almost missed some vital evidence- thank goodness the rest of the Shonen Tantei-Dan had been there. Toichi and Kaito followed him in quietly-Akai had been so annoyed with Kudo's distraction and silence that the sullen spirit hadn't been stalking the Reikai-tantei as much as he used to. It was just luck that there'd been no Syndicate activity.

The phantom thieves continued floating around Kudo during the questioning, arguing inaudibly to Takagi. Kudo kept up an impressive Poker Face, chatting chirpily to Takagi while arguing furiously with Kaito.

"Don't keep doing this to the both of you. You don't deserve it, and neither does she."

"_Oh, what do you know?_" Kudo snapped back. "_You've only been haunting me for a week. You don't know what I'm into with Ran_."

"You pushed your best friend away because you were scared that she'd find out that you were lying to her and leading a double life," Kaito retorted. "I know _exactly_ how that feels, only on top of that _my_ mask is the one person Aoko hates more than anyone else. Tell Ran-san the story. Don't tell her. But whatever you do, just stop stringing her along already. At least whatever happens she's unlikely to take your head off, which is more than can be said for me if I _did_ miraculously come to life just now."

"I appreciate that your situations are not identical," Toichi said calmly as Kudo opened his mental mouth to retort, "but Kaito does have a point. Stop distancing yourself from us, because we're not going anywhere until this gets resolved and we can get back to work. At least, given that you're still alive, if you talk to her you can try to make things right. Appreciate that, for the sake of those of us who have no more second chances."

Kudo fell into a sullen silence, outwardly still talking to Takagi. He remained silent as they left the Police Department. Kaito wondered if he was thinking about what his father had said, or if he just had something that he wanted to say to them in private.

It was sort of both.

He'd kept walking silently, all the way into Beika park, before detouring off of the path. At his diminutive height, he was almost hidden by the bushes around the edge of the path standing, and when he suddenly collapsed into a sitting position next to a tree trunk, he was completely hidden. Kaito and Toichi exchanged glances as the boy buried his head into his knees, going rock still. It would have been understandable if his shoulders were shaking. Just freezing was worrying.

"Tantei-kun…?" Kaito said carefully.

"All right, so I'm scared," Kudo muttered harshly. "All I've been doing, all this time, was to get back to her. One thing was really anchoring me to my old life, to my future, to the world after the Syndicate. Without her, I don't know why I'm doing what I'm doing. I just don't…"

"Speaking as one who _has_ no future," Kaito said, "I know that's kinda freaky. But come on, what happened to the Tantei-kun who chased me across the rooftops just because I'd stolen something? What happened to the Tantei-kun who was always so obsessed with the pursuit of justice? Though if it's any comfort, for the moment I can guarantee _one_ constant to your future." Kudo looked up at him with an unconvinced expression, which changed to shock when Kaito popped into his face, rotating his head and making little balls of spirit fire appear all around (one of the child spirits had taught him how to do this, a mischievous little guy whom Kaito privately thought that, had he the chance to grow older, would probably have caused as much trouble as- well, _him_). "I am going to continue causing as much havoc as I possibly can, I'll just focus it all on _you_. The fun we'll have!" Toichi burst out laughing.

Kudo stared silently at the extroverted display, but Kaito caught the flicker of a smile across both his spirit and child faces. Kaito grinned triumphantly. Toichi watched the teens with a little smile.

"Fine," Kudo grumbled. "I know… I have an obligation to you guys, if only to get rid of you. I just… she's the one person I've never been able to maintain a logical mind towards. I still don't know if I can do it."

"Well then, can I ask you a favour?" Kaito asked.

* * *

"Where now?"

"Left. No, down the footpath, don't go into the alley!"

"Calm down! I don't know where I'm going. It's not like I've ever stalked you home, not that it wouldn't just be returning the favour…"

"Stalker is such a nasty word."

"A fish by any other name would smell as rotten." The irritating spirit clammed up at the mention of fish, to Shinichi's inner triumph.

He was currently trying to find his way to Ekoda High under Kuroba's direction. Only Kuroba was around, since they were dealing with a personal matter for him. Shinichi crept along the back ways that Kuroba indicated, since he didn't particularly want to be caught playing hooky again, wondering what Kuroba actually wanted to do. They'd probably only be able to get a look at Nakamori Aoko at break or lunch, and wouldn't be able to get very close without being spotted. Still, he could understand Kuroba's desire to get even a glimpse of how his friend was handling things.

Not very well, he found.

Due to an embankment around the back of the school, Shinichi was able to creep close enough to see in through the windows. He used his glasses to zoom in the rest of the way, peering out from behind the bushes. Aoko was bent over her work but didn't seem to be seeing it properly. She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Shinichi could feel Kuroba's worry as he watched the girl, too intent to annoy Shinichi.

"Hey," he murmured, watching the girl surreptitiously rub her eyes, "we're pretty close, you could switch your anchor to her if you want to watch her on you own…"

"Thanks, but it's all right," Kuroba replied distantly. Shinichi nodded, inwardly a little touched that Kuroba wanted him to stay even though they were there, as far as he could tell, for the express purpose of watching Aoko come out with a similar confession to Ran's, especially after he had cast the ghost aside when it had happened to him. However, something else was wrong. Kuroba's frown was steadily growing more pronounced, something like panic edging onto his expression.

"Kuro-?"

The bell suddenly rang, causing the students to leap to their feet, stuffing things into their bags and leaving to have lunch. Shinichi shrank back into the bushes, praying that he wouldn't be spotted. "Where does she go for lunch?" he asked Kuroba.

"Still willing to stalk?" the thief said in surprise.

"I've got nothing better to do, do I?" Shinichi grumbled, carefully climbing down the slope and trying not to be noticed.

"Thanks," Kuroba said quietly. He sounded unsettled, and Shinichi couldn't blame him. "She might be around the side of the building…"

She was. Shinichi flattened himself against the low wall running around the perimeter of the school, straining his ears to hear the girl. Kuroba just drifted through the brickwork, still with a slightly confused expression.

"You're not eating a lot, Nakamori-san." Shinichi frowned. The clipped, formal voice sounded familiar.

"I don't feel up to it."

"Still a little confused?" He heard a sharp intake of breath, and then a little laugh.

"Stop doing your detective-mind-reading thing, Hakuba-kun," Aoko said. Shinichi nodded. Hakuba Saguru. The half-brit he'd run into at a couple of murders and a dozen Kid cases. Kuroba hadn't mentioned that he was in his class, though that might explain Hakuba's angry obsession with the Kid.

"I just know you, Nakamori-san. Do you want to talk about it yet?"

"I don't know…" there was an unhappy pause. "I just wish I could talk to _him_ about it… I talked to Minami-obasan, but there's so much that she can't really explain, and anyway she's in a bad way just now… the doctors are on the verge of declaring him brain-dead…" Shinichi gulped. Kuroba was as good as dead anyway, his soul already separated from his body, but hearing about the slow breakdown of the thief's body was still tough, and it had to be even harder for those around him, who might still have been holding onto hope…

"What do you want him to say to you?" Hakuba said softly.

"I…" Aoko sounded on the verge of tears. "I can understand… in my head… _why_ he felt he had to be Kid… ojisan was the world to him, he really was, if you'd ever seen them together when ojisan was alive… I know it had to be tearing him apart… but… _why_… why did he _lie_? To _me_?!" her voice was beginning to turn to anger. "I thought we were _best friends_! Even though I hate Kid, did he really trust me so little to think that I wouldn't listen to _him_? _Him_, of all people?! He was my best friend and he was so important to me, but he never… he never trusted me, he never cared… always so cold…" Shinichi could hear her crying now, causing him to grit his teeth. It was a familiar sound, and since he knew how much Nakamori Aoko looked like Ran, he could very well imagine her face…

Kuroba shot out of the wall, an expression on his face that Shinichi knew too well.

"She's got Hakuba to comfort her," he said harshly. "Let's get out of here." Shinichi nodded tersely and started hurrying away, only glancing over his shoulder once as they went. He'd figured that Kuroba wanted to get away from Aoko, unable to watch her cry, but something also gave him the impression that it had something to do with the tall girl with odd, deep purple hair and piercing eyes, who was crossing the yard towards Aoko, even though those piercing eyes- and her dark aura- were focused on _him_.

He nearly ran.

Kuroba suddenly gave a slightly mad chuckle. "Man, I have a worse imagination than I thought," he said ruefully. "I mean… when you listened to Ran-san pouring her heart out to another guy, I thought I could imagine how badly that hurt… it wasn't _half_ as bad as this." His spectral hand clutched at his transparent chest, as if his heart hurt. His physical heart was miles away, pumping blood through an inert body. It was his soul that was in pain.

"I… know," Shinichi said, feeling his throat tighten as if the pain of first hearing the words coming out of Ran's mouth was returning. "It's like falling…" looking away from Kuroba, instead focusing on the cold concrete passing under his feet as he told himself that he wasn't fleeing, he tentatively asked, "do you want to be on your own?"

"…no," Kuroba said quietly. "I… don't want to see the other ghosts, though. I know you of all people will know what I'm going through…" he gave Shinichi what was a shadow of his devilish grin in more ways than one. "Feels like I just filled my half of a suicide pact."

"Baro. You're already dead."

The smile didn't dim, but his eyes grew darker, filling with an emotion that Shinichi couldn't quite reach. "I know."

* * *

* * *

_More sadness, __**Phantom-Akiko**__…_

_I hate getting dragged away mid-chapter, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ DX Yeah, they both need a friend right now…_

_You mean Star War, __**Pretztailfan95**__? I actually LOLed when I read that one, because there's a visual gag with Kaito and Aoko putting up Christmas decorations that gets reused by Heiji and Kazuha when they get kidnapped… XDXD_

_She only appears for about a quarter of the first chapter, __**llamaglamasama**__… I wanna know more about her. KaiShin… slowly… growing…_

_Sounds like fun, __**SetoJouFan**__ XDXD Yeah, this fic is not exactly designed to be smiles and light…_

_Just about everyone's got reasons to be sad at the moment, __**Sailor Silver Rose**__…_

_It's enough to know that it's a good chapter, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__ XD ^_-_

_I'm not changing my storyline, __**FHP2208**__… death is not exactly a subject that is dealt with happily. I liked putting in Ai's parents, but we know so little about who they really were… Kaito and Shinichi are gonna be there for each other, don't you worry ^_- And trust me, there will be a happy ending…_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	11. 10:Counselling

_**Chapter Ten**_

_**Counselling**_

As Akako had expected, Aoko was crying. She had probably done so at home, of course, but she'd tried to hide it at school, and suppressing the grief and hurt that Akako could feel swirling thickly in the other girl's aura was never a good idea. As Akako had half-suspected, Hakuba was there with her, with a comforting but nervous hand on her shaking shoulder. Akako was secretly impressed with the young man, who had first transferred to Ekoda High so aggressive- both in his affections for Aoko and his dislike of Kuroba- but for the past week had simply hovered in a tactful orbit around Aoko, occasionally distracting anyone who looked like they were going to bug her, particularly about Kuroba's absence. Aoko didn't seem to mind his presence; at least, she wasn't shaking his hand off of her shoulder, though she was crying so heavily that perhaps she simply hadn't noticed.

Kuroba clearly minded.

Akako stopped dead (for want of a better phrase) and stared at the thief, glowing white behind Aoko and Hakuba. "_How? He's in hospital, he was badly wounded, how on earth could he get here…?_"

Then she looked properly at him, saw that he was sitting halfway through the wall, saw that he was transparent, and realized the truth. Her heart, something she hadn't been aware that she still possessed, wrenched.

He was a ghost. Lucifer. If his soul had separated from his body already… It didn't matter how many machines they plugged into it to keep it alive. He would never awaken. He was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

He glanced up at her, faded blue eyes meeting vibrant red ones. His expression changed to one of fear as he realized that she was looking _at_ him, and he vanished through the wall. Akako quickly strode over to where Hakuba and Aoko sat by the school gates, curving her path so that she could see out of the gateway. She managed to spot Kuroba as he hurried away, floating after…

Well. _That_ was odd. An adult soul in a child's body? The aura was suppressed, too, but familiar, and Akako almost laughed when she remembered where from. But of course the perfect rival to a Phantom Thief would be a Reikai-Tantei…

Well, that didn't matter. If Kuroba was as far as haunting a semi-Shinigami, then there could be no return.

Hakuba glanced up at her, noticing the approach. His glance clearly said "_Help me! How do I comfort her?_" even if Akako hadn't been able to sense the agitation and nervousness in his aura. She smiled thinly. Men were so easy to read.

"How are you feeling, Aoko-chan?" she said sympathetically once she was near enough. Aoko jerked her head up in surprise, quickly trying to wipe away her tears. Akako placed a calm white hand over Aoko's, stilling the girl's desperation. "I know, Aoko-chan," she said simply. "I know about Kuroba-kun. I'm… so sorry."

"A-Akako-chan…" Aoko whispered. Akako sat down on the bench next to her and put a sympathetic arm on her shoulder. "How…?"

"I just do," Akako hedged. "I can imagine… that it's hurting you."

"It does," Aoko murmured. "So badly. It hurts… to trust someone with so much… and to receive so little in return."

"Love is giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting them not to," Akako said, pretending that she _wasn't _quoting a Bebo sticker.

"But he _did_!" Aoko cried. "I just… if he'd told me himself, that he was Kid, maybe I could have forgiven him… but this… I just don't know if I can…"

"I don't know if that's an issue," Akako said slowly. "The doctors are on the verge of declaring him brain dead, you know." Hakuba glanced sharply up, clearly not knowing. Akako didn't really know this herself, but if his soul had already left his body it was only a matter of time. "If he dies… then forgiving him or not is simply a matter of your own feelings, and your own conscience, isn't it?"

"Somehow… I feel like he's dead already," Aoko whispered. "Like he died a week ago… my Kaito is already gone…" She broke down crying again, throwing her arms around the startled Akako, who slowly put her arms around the other girl as she closed her eyes in the physical barrier against the tears that _could not_ come.

"_You can't do it, can you? Life is too precious to you…_"

"I know how it hurts," Akako whispered, Hakuba watching the girls with the nervousness of all guys faced with crying women but not willing to leave Aoko. "_I know so well._"

* * *

"Braining with a mop."

"Braining with black-belt karate."

"That probably wins. Okay…"

It was oddly comfortable chatting with the tiny Meitantei, Kaito mused. When they'd first left Ekoda High, he'd tried to divert straight into banter to cover up the fact that it felt like his heart had been crushed into tiny pieces (though his actual heart was in an empty body some miles away, but he preferred not to dwell on that), but Kudo had just given him a double Look that clearly said that he wasn't buying it and to knock it off. Left in silence as he drifted over the randomly wandering detective, he'd fallen into endless wonderings of what-if, what went wrong, what he should have changed…

Eventually, Kudo had spoken, only once.

"What-ifs do no good," he said quietly. Kaito had then noticed that they were walking (or in his case, drifting) through Beika Park. He wondered how long that had been happening. He looked down at the little detective, then back up at his true face. They had the same pensive expression, though the older face had a dark emotion in his eyes that Kaito could only wish that he didn't understand. He remained silent to let Kudo speak. "We can't change the past. We can wish, we can hope, but it won't do a damn thing. The important thing is the future, and right now… all I want out of it is for Ran to be happy in it. It's all I've ever wanted out of it… I just need to come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to be the one to make that happen."

"Maybe you can, in a way," Kaito said softly. "If she needs you to let her go to move on… if that's all you can do…" he chuckled dryly. "It's more than I can."

"I wish I could say something to them for you," Kudo said wryly, "but I doubt they'd listen to a crazy kid talking to a dead guy…"

"Koizumi might," Kaito said with a shrug, remembering spotting the witch at school. She'd _seen_ him, he was certain. It was weird, seeing her through ghost eyes. He could see the dark clouds around her, the ice at the centre… "but even Aoko and Hakuba have decided that she's weird too, so even if she listens hardly anyone else will…"

"Who's Koizumi?" Kudo said with a frown. "Was she that freaky girl who was glaring at us as she crossed the yard at your school?"

"Freaky doesn't begin to cover it," Kaito said, launching into a detailed explanation of Koizumi's weirdness, bringing the conversation around, when he was ready, on her jealousy of Aoko, and then onto Aoko herself. It just became the trading of anecdotes, but it was still strangely comforting to swap stories with Kudo, even though he hadn't been sure even an hour ago that he could ever say Aoko's name again- perhaps because he knew that Kudo was going through exactly the same thing as him.

"Thanks," Kudo suddenly said. Kaito glanced at him in surprise.

"What are you thanking _me_ for, tantei-kun?" he asked, floating upside-down in front of the diminished detective and peering at him invertedly. Kudo just kept walking.

"I didn't think I could talk _about_ Ran until I talked _to_ Ran," he said quietly. "And wasn't sure I'd even manage that. Even just a bit of banter about her… anyway, thanks."

"Takes one baka to know one," Kaito said with a shrug that looked distinctly odd as he was still upside-down. Kudo laughed and then shivered slightly. Kaito glanced around, noticing that the light was dying fast.

"Don't you think we should head back soon?" he said. "I mean, it's not like _I'm_ feeling the cold, but _you-_" he flipped around to flick Kudo on the nose, "are going to turn into a little snowman. That could be cute, actually. I could stick a carrot up your nose…"

"Shut up, thief," Kudo muttered, blushing and burying his face into his scarf. "I'm not going to say that you're probably right."

"Right, you were just headed back anyway," Kaito said.

"That's right. And then tomorrow… I need to talk to Haibara."

"Going to ask for a poison pill to fulfil your half of the suicide pact?" Kaito joked.

"In a manner of speaking…"

* * *

"I don't _have_ any new mixes, Kudo-kun," Ai said testily. "All I can give you would last maybe twelve hours at the most, probably less."

"I don't need twelve hours," Kudo said. "I probably only need a couple. And then I won't bug you for any more, ever. I promise." Ai paused. There was something odd in his tone…

"Alright, what's going on, Kudo-kun?" she demanded. "You've been acting weirdly ever since you ran home last week. You run home, stay there all night, and ever since you've been so _out_ of it. Are you listening to me?" She snapped irritably. He kept staring at some point over her left shoulder, his head tipped slightly as if listening.

"…I'm breaking up with Ran," he said, slumping down on the couch in a defeated manner. Ai felt her jaw drop and struggled to regain her composure.

"You're _what_?" she said, feeling shocked and hating herself for the tiny little bit of glee at the news. "Why…"

"It's just been too long, Haibara," he said with a sigh. "I can't keep holding her down. She's moving on… she said so herself. I have to let her. I can't keep holding her back."

"That's why you promised not to bug me for antidotes," Ai said flatly. "You won't want them any more…"

"Hey, I'm not saying that I don't want the real thing," Kudo said, dragging up a grin, even if it was a thin one. She'd been watching him for long enough to tell. "But… until then, I just need to say goodbye, that's all. So does she. I just… I don't really feel like talking about it. Can you just…?"

Wordlessly, Ai pulled out a capsule and passed it to him. He gave her that odd thin smile again, thanking her and leaving. She barely heard him.

It hurt to see him hurting like that, hurt even more because some part of her, even though it was selfish and stupid, had been hoping for a scenario like this; one where Kudo and Ran drifted apart, one where she could be there for him. Well, that was half-fulfilled. He was hurt, but he didn't want comfort. Not from her.

With a moan, she buried her head in her arms. Kudo and Ran breaking up was one of the few things that could throw her for a loop; some part of her had wanted it, some part of her had hated the other part for wanting it, and in the end it didn't matter because she'd never envisioned it happening quietly, like this. Not in limp smiles and quiet conversation. It felt like too little to say goodbye to so much.

She knew she ought to get back to work, but for a while, she just wanted to sit there, processing the major change in the game that had just transpired. Besides, it was somewhat comforting to just sit there, as if comforting arms were wrapped around her.

* * *

* * *

_It's an angstfic, __**Pretztailfan95**__… it's not supposed to be happy ^_^; _

_They all have somebody to lean on, __**llamaglamasama**__, and the KaiShin is beginning as they realize it…_

_I'm hoping that more people will use the Magic Kaito section, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__, so that if Aoyama-sensei sees how popular Magic Kaito is online, he might put in more Kaito_ _Akako can see them, yes. As Kaito and Shinichi lean on each other more, KaiShin will begin to happen…_

_A new name, __**FHP2208**__- or __**A Smiling Cat**__? :) There are a few moments left between both Shinichi and Ran and Kaito and Aoko… and a LOT of KaiShin to come…_

_Akako gets into all sorts of weird stuff, __**Phantom-Akiko**__…_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	12. 11:Falling Spirits

_**Chapter Eleven**_

_**Falling Spirits**_

"…_When we take him off of life support is entirely up to your discretion, but I'm afraid that there's nothing else we can do. I'm sorry. Please let us know when you make your decision_."

"Th… thank you," Minami whispered, hanging up the phone and promptly dropping the handset. She didn't pick it up. She could barely make it to the couch.

Oh Kami. Brain-dead. Her son. Her baby. Her _everything_.

She stared sightlessly at the shelves, at the frozen image old photograph. It was her, nearly twenty years ago, and in her arms…

_He was so tiny. So perfect. The first time she had held him, she had been amazed at what she and Toichi had done._

"_I make magic every night," Toichi had murmured in amazement, "but he makes it all pale into fumbled card tricks…"_

_Their little boy opened his eyes. Minami saw the beautiful deep blue that she had fallen in love with the first time she set eyes on Toichi._

"_He looks just like you," she said softly, stroking the sparse tufts of black on the top of his head._

"_Now, now," Toichi chuckled. "In this bit of magic, the magician is not going to take the credit for the beautiful assistant's work. He's lucky enough to be blessed with your looks, I feel…"_

"_He's got the best of both," Minami said, hugging him gently. "He's perfect."_

"_Hear that, little Kaito?" Toichi said softly to his son, crouching down to speak into his tiny ear. "We love you."_

She loved him so much. He was her perfect baby boy.

So why so little time? Why could she only hold him for nineteen years? Was that really all that she had? No woman wanted to bury her husband; no mother wanted to bury her child. Within a decade, she had done both.

She curled up on the couch, curling around her stomach as if struck by a physical pain. It felt like that, like her limbs had been sawn off. She'd lost them both, they'd both been taken from her, the magic was dead…

The doorbell might have been ringing. She didn't really care. It wouldn't be Toichi, perhaps picking her up for a date like he had when they were young, popping a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere. It wouldn't be Kaito, looking embarrassed because he'd forgotten his keys like he sometimes had as a child. It would never be either of them. It was nobody important.

"…obachan…?"

Minami didn't look up at the familiar voice. She just cried and cried, as if it was _her_ tears that could stop time and bring back the dead. She'd give anything for that.

She'd _bleed_ if it would bring her baby back.

"Oh, obachan… I'm… so sorry…"

A pair of arms wrapped around her, and for a moment she tried to imagine that they were Toichi's, or Kaito's small hands, clutching at her as a child… but it was neither. She barely reacted, just clutching one hand around Aoko's as the girl held her.

"Was Akako-chan right?" Aoko murmured in a broken voice. "Did they say… he's…?" Minami gave a jerky nod.

"Only nineteen," she managed to rasp out. "My baby… for so little time… so little…"

"I'm sorry," Aoko said wretchedly. "I'm so sorry. He got shot… because of me… because…"

Minami could see it, could remember what she'd been told; Kaito had gone to the roof, Aoko had caught him there, she'd been chasing him, some parody of their fights since they were children, there had been shots, and Kaito hadn't fled like he always had because Aoko had been out there. He'd saved her, bullets aimed at her had sunken into his flesh, she could smell his blood, see Aoko's horrified face, feel her pain that was one that Minami remembered all so well…

"No," Minami murmured. "It's not… not your fault. It's _Theirs_. They took Toichi, and now They took my boy… They've taken everything, everything…"

"They stole them from you," Aoko replied quietly. "Well, Otou-san chases thieves. And I bet these guys are _nothing_ on… on Kid." Minami couldn't miss the acid in Aoko's voice, no matter how hard the girl tried to suppress it. It hurt, even if it was unsurprising. "We'll catch Them. We'll make Them pay… even if we can't make Them return what they stole from you."

"You don't have to be here, Aoko-chan," Minami whispered, uncurling slightly, though the pain in her heart and in her belly didn't lessen. "After all, it hurt you, didn't it? To know… I'm sorry…"

"It hurt," Aoko said quietly. "It felt like my best friend had died, right there. I've been dealing with this for a week already. I know… it hurts so badly, obachan, especially… when it was someone you loved…" Minami tried to sit up normally. Tears were in Aoko's normally fiery eyes, though the fires still burned.

"I've lost my best friend and I've lost my Okaa-san," Aoko sobbed, hugging Minami again now that she was upright. "You're like another Okaa-san to me, ever since Okaa-san died. I don't want to lose you too."

"Thank you, Aoko-chan," Minami said, tentatively hugging the other girl back. She'd always felt like the girl was a bit of a daughter to her, and had half-expected her to genuinely become her daughter-in-law someday; she was someone that Minami loved. Someone to hold onto. Someone to keep her here.

"Losing a son _and_ gaining a daughter?" Aoko suggested with a tearful giggle. Minami tried to laugh, it was funny in the way that anything is at the darkest moments, but all she could do was cling to the girl as she cried, clinging so tightly as if she feared that she too would vanish.

* * *

Kudo carefully put his mobile into his pocket, shoving his tie into his coat. He kicked his heels disconsolately against the frozen earth.

"That's it," he said eventually, the swing moving slightly in response to his kicking. "It's a date."

"When?" Kaito said, leaning backwards over the top bar to stare at the depressed detective. He didn't have to sit on the top bar, but he had an innate need to look stylish, body or no, and had spent most of the phone call reclining on the thin bar in a lazy catlike manner. His father was also sitting on the top bar, left leg crossed over his right knee and right leg dangling lazily over the bar. Akai was around too, but he'd drifted off in the direction of the trees with Akemi, on something like a date. Kaito wondered if they were quietly talking, which they did a lot, or if ghosts could make out.

"Saturday," he said, gripping the chains and swinging his legs to make the swing go higher. It was easier than trying to kick the ground, given that his legs hadn't grown much longer since he shrank. Kaito vaguely wondered when the kid would grow- he clearly hated being tiny. "That gives me three days to get a grip…"

"…or at least get a Poker Face," Toichi said lightly. "Even your physical face is down. If you've decided that this is for the best, you don't want to leave her feeling guilty, do you?"

"No," Kudo said quickly. "I know. I just need to prepare myself. To get used to the idea. That's all. It's still not quite…"

"Not quite real," Kaito said sympathetically. He was now twisted so far around the bars that his ankles were hooked under his chin. Kudo carefully ignored him, his physical face smoothing into blankness even as the metaphysical one remained twisted and downcast. His expression was oddly reminiscent of the one that Miyano Shiho seemed to have permanently. Then his head jerked up, eyes both solid and not narrowing on the path. Kaito shivered as he felt something approach. It was… odd, dark, but somehow familiar…

He groaned inaudibly as Akako appeared from behind the trees. She seemed wreathed in flowing black shadows, something that Kaito had never noticed as a human. He fell through the bar when she said coolly, "How's the death, Kuroba-kun?"

"She can see us?" Toichi said in surprise, staring at Akako, who bowed slightly in greeting. Akai and Akemi popped up, Akai also staring at Akako.

"What is she?" he asked bluntly. Kudo went for the politer version.

"Koizumi Akako-san, right?" he asked. "The witch?"

"Correct, Tantei-san," she said, looking over the four ghosts- the curious Toichi, the defensive Akai, the worried Akemi, the just plain freaked Kaito. "Kuroba Toichi-san? Pleasure to meet you. I've seen you stalking Kuroba-kun a few times. Speaking of whom… Kuroba-kun, so you're really dead? The doctors declared you brain-dead today. They left the decision of when to switch off your life-support system with your mother, just so you know. I believe Aoko-chan is comforting her just now." Toichi hissed under his breath and vanished, likely overpowered by the desire to offer whatever insubstantial comfort he could to his widow.

Kaito felt a metaphorical lurch in his stomach. "Kami. Kaasan… is she… okay?"

"Of course not, you baka, she's just been told that she has to bury her only child," Akako snorted, sitting on a swing next to Kudo's. "However… she and Aoko-chan are there for one another. She may make it."

"Oh, Kami," Kaito muttered, shoving his head into his hands. "Baka, baka, _baka_…"

"Do you want to go see them?" Kudo asked, glancing up at Kaito. "I mean, I know you can't really do anything, but…"

"You ought to go, Kuroba-kun," Akako said soothingly. "Most normal people can at least sense the presence of their lost loved ones. You may be able to comfort them slightly, if little else."

"Y-yeah," Kaito said, nodding shakily before feeling a _tug_ and finding himself in his living room, next to his father, looking down on the crying and embracing figures of his mother and best friend.

* * *

Akako raised her sculpted eyebrows when Shinichi sent Kuroba home. He was kind of glad to send the magician away for a while, truth be told. It was disconcerting, to say the least, to see the normally well-disguised thief's emotions running rampant, and it was even worse with Akako's news.

He imagined his own true face wasn't very different, though.

"I wonder why I never noticed you before, Reikai-tantei," Akako mused aloud. "How did you end up trapped in a child's form?"

"Long story… wait, what did you call me?" Shinichi said, staring at the black-wreathed girl in confusion. "Reikai-tantei?"

"Didn't you know what you are?" Akako said, glancing down at him with a little quirk of a smile. "Well, perhaps it's not surprising. Those who are born rather than made often don't."

"What _is_ a… Reikai-tantei?" Shinichi asked again. "Is it… why I can see ghosts? And control them?"

"Precisely," Akako nodded. "You are one who has been chosen by the Reikai to ensure that the dead move on. You can see ghosts and youkai, and control the former and maybe fight the latter… I don't know how much experience you have in that area."

"I didn't know youkai were real," Shinichi said with a frown. Akako shrugged.

"They're not fond of built-up areas, and most know better than to stray onto my turf," she said lazily. "Besides, I believe that there are other Reikai-tantei elsewhere in the city, made ones with training in fighting youkai. Your kind can be made, from humans who came so close to death that they still bear the aura of the Reikai, but it's quite difficult to walk that line and you're more often born. Like you."

"So I'm a _Reikai_-tantei?" Shinichi said, quirking an eyebrow.

"I have no idea how the selection process goes," Akako said with a shrug. "But if you can see and even control departed spirits, then yes, that is the role for which you have been chosen."

"Fun." Shinichi swung back and forth idly. "If you're some kind of black-magic witch, there's no chance you could turn me back to normal, is there?"

"Were you shrunken by magic?" Akako said, inspecting her long black nails idly.

"Umm… no," Shinichi admitted. "Just really, really weird science…" She patted him on the head in what was probably meant to be sympathy, but just pissed him off.

"Then I'm afraid I cannot undo it," she sighed, standing. "I could turn you into a pig, though…"

"Th-that's all right," Shinichi insisted. Akako gave a little laugh.

"Anyway, I really came to see if Kuroba-kun had truly separated from his body already," she said coolly. "Send him to his rest soon, Meitantei. I think I might actually like Aoko-chan, because I find myself wanting her to get over him and be happy. I would not wish on Kuroba-kun the pain of watching her forget him."

"Would she really… forget him completely?" Shinichi asked. The witch's sentiments seemed kind, in an odd way, but…

Akako gave him a disturbingly piercing glare. "The dead whom we do not love slip our minds eventually."

"_Ouch_." Shinichi kept his face composed as he watched the witch saunter away. "_Kinda glad Kuroba didn't hear that…_"

He frowned at his feet, ignoring Akai's questions as he materialized next to him, Akako's aura having apparently pushed spirits away as she wished to talk to Shinichi alone. "_Still… is she right? Would she really forget? Would… would _Ran_ forget? She can't be serious. Even… even if she doesn't love me anymore… even if she moves on… would she really forget? Wouldn't that just make the time when she did love me… all that we felt, all that we shared… isn't that as if they never happened? As if they were nothing at all?_"

"Oi, where are you going?" Akai said sharply as Shinichi stood and, without a word, began to trot away.

"I need to be alone for a bit," he said distantly, ignoring the swearing as Akai vanished. Always so many voices, always demanding so much… the wounds on his heart from Ran's tearful confession to Eisuke had barely scabbed over and now some witch had knocked them open again.

For a brief moment, he thought of summoning Kaito back, just to be able to talk to someone who could understand, but that would mean explaining what Kaito had said. Somehow, he just didn't want to dump that on the thief.

* * *

* * *

_I've been rereading Furuba recently, so Aka-chan kept morphing into Hana-chan in my head while I was writing this… XDXD I worry that it's made her a bit OOC, though… (Would Conan be Hiro? And Kaito is totally Kakeru… *stop now*) In other happy news I've been accepted to my second-choice university for drama and literature… still waiting to hear back from my first choice… But it makes me happy ^_^_

_Return to heartbreak, __**nataeiy1…**_

_I hate it when people bug me about games, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ :P "figure it out YOURSELF! Just like THE REST OF US!" XDXD yes, Akako did speak to him… and may want to choose her words more carefully… I want to see that movie so bad DX But my crappy local cinema doesn't have it yet… T_T_

_OK then, __**Cat **__^_- Good luck with the exam! So glad you love it!_ _ It still makes me ridiculously happy to hear that… ^_^ The breakup isn't quite yet…_

_It's not hard to do, __**Pretztailfan95**__… not that different to writing hetero stuff, to be honest, except sometimes you can take the denial to a whole new level… Poor Ai, poor everybody… no, the ranting wouldn't bug me unless it was a stupid flames like "OMG ur fic is crap because its got guys with guys…_"_ ghag's kind of supid._

_I left in Ai's feelings for Conan, __**SetoJouFan**__… and rejection-angst… maybe she'll feel better about it when he turns out to be gay XDXDXD_

…_. I did actually steal that line from Bebo, __**llamaglamasama**__, and couldn't get that out of my head when I was doing edits… XDXD yeah, she would kill anybody for mentioning that… RUN! XDXD Poor Ai, but I'm glad I write her so well ^_^ This is what comes next… and not so much banter here…_

_This is full of weird stuff, __**bloddy raptor **__XDXD_

_Glad you love it, __**Phantom-Akiko**__ ^_-_

_Still crying, __**PlayingThePiano**__?_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	13. 12:Poltergeist

_**Chapter Twelve**_

_**Poltergeist**_

"Hey, where's tantei-kun?" Kaito said, blinking a little as he and Toichi rematerialized in the Mori Detective Agency. He was getting the hang of switching anchors over long distance, but he wasn't able to tell who he was switching to. He thought he was switching to Kudo, but he was just switching to the little lock of hair that the chibi-tantei was using as an anchor to the Mori Detective Agency to keep ghosts there. He felt out for another anchor, but he could only feel one, which he knew was in his house.

"I was hoping you could tell me that," Akai growled, looking a mix of furious and fearful. "He sent Akemi and I back here when he was done talking to that witch in the park and we couldn't get back, I think he's blocking us."

"Oh, Koizumi?" Kaito said, then frowned. Kudo's behaviour was reminiscent to how he had acted when he had first heard Ran's confession. What had Koizumi said to him? "Any idea what they talked about?"

"I have no idea," Akai said with a frown. "You know her, any idea what she would talk to him about?"

"The only common topic that I think they'd have is freaky otherworldly stuff," Kaito commented.

"And you," Toichi added, glancing around the Agency. Ran wasn't around, Kogoro was snoring on his desk, and the masses of ghosts were wandering listlessly as always, most watching their conversation for lack of anything more interesting to do. That was the thing about being dead; sooner or later, you ended up just watching the living, because there was nothing better to do. The longer you remained where you shouldn't, the more of you dwindled away, until you barely remembered your own form; you were little more than a lingering disembodied interest.

Unless you were connected to a mortal who had the power of the Reikai flowing through them. Toichi had been amazed at the surge of _himself_ that he'd experienced when he'd first had contact with Kudo Shinichi; the process was slow and took place over some decades or centuries (what was time to the dead?) and he hadn't even noticed himself slipping away. But one switch to the shrunken detective and _everything_ had flooded back- memories that he had forgotten forgetting, feelings that he had been too numb to realize that he wasn't feeling, thoughts that his mind had been too disintegrated to notice that he couldn't think anymore. In only a few days of following Kudo, he was more himself than he'd been in ten years, and powerful, too. Emotion was one of the first things to go, but suddenly he was _feeling_, and feelings, he knew, were one of humankind's greatest powers. Fear lent speed to the coward, love lent strength to a parent defending their child. For ghosts, who didn't have bodies to tie themselves down…

Akai was so agitated that ornaments around him were rattling. One slipped towards the edge of the table, and almost reflexively, fifty ghosts leaned towards it as if to catch it; by their will, it floated back into place.

They had power. Thanks to Kudo, they had power. And for that, they obeyed him; his emotions nagged at the back of their minds, his commands had to be obeyed. That was the problem. He'd ordered them to stay away from them, so they had no choice; but the only emotion that Toichi could feel at the back of his mind was a dull, nagging pain.

"_I guess I got lucky Bourbon's not around. I kind of instinctively ran for home; if he'd been around, I was so messed up that I wouldn't have noticed, and that would have been trouble for me…_"

He glanced at Akai and knew that he had already thought that thought, and Kaito's cursing indicated that he had too.

"We can't get near him if he doesn't want us to," Akai growled. "Dammit…" he glared at Kaito and Toichi. "I'm counting on input from you guys."

"Us?" Toichi said with an eyebrow raised. "Granted I've been dead ten years, but I'm not more powerful than a Reikai-tantei…"

"And I'm still not used to the whole insubstantiality thing," Kaito said. "Anti-gravity, no problem, but even _I _never walked through walls…"

"But you _are_ Kaitou," Akai said. "You're skilled at exploiting the law and just flat-out breaking it. You're experts at being where people don't want you to be. For that kid's sake, death better not have blunted your skills."

* * *

He carefully loaded the tranquilizer darts into one handgun, then loaded real bullets into the other. He needed to bring Kudo and Sherry back alive. If Gin got his way, at least one of them would not remain so, so perhaps he ought to take another hostage to ensure Sherry's cooperation. They both seemed fond of that old scientist. He'd be a bit more of a weight to pack into the boot, but he'd do.

"_Carpe Diem_, my friend," he murmured, getting up and running his fingers wistfully over the spines of the Holmes books before he left the library forever. "Such a shame. We'll have to destroy all of this once you're gone, you know. Who knows what you've hidden? Perhaps I'll be allowed the freedom to plunder a little before this place burns."

He pushed his glasses up his nose before turning off the lights and heading for the stairs. There would be no need to explain "Okiya Subaru's" disappearance. Those few who would notice his disappearance were leaving with him tonight, and if all went well the mansion would burn by morning. If anybody else had been told of his existence, would they be so surprised if he had burned to death without a trace?

The boy was curled up alone under the fallen blanket in the midst of his half-tidied room. Bourbon couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. It didn't really matter. He didn't know what had so upset the boy either, but he had reappeared an hour ago, glanced half-heartedly around the house and then started tidying up his room, still something of a disaster area ever since he had last appeared in a state a few days ago and isolated himself in the house like he hadn't dared since Bourbon had moved in. Had he forgotten his presence, or had whatever happened simply left him uncaring? Again, it didn't matter. It left him at Bourbon's mercy, and that was what was important, had he any.

He stepped into the room, the door creaking slightly. The boy looked up at him with dozy eyes as he woke up, unhidden by glasses, into which panic slowly filtered as he realized what was happening. That panic faded as Bourbon hit him square in the forehead with a tranquilizer dart.

* * *

Ai suddenly jerked out of her trance. She looked around, wondering why. She was alone again. Nobody had come downstairs, nothing had changed on the computer screen. She just had such of a bad feeling, all of a sudden- some deep dread that pulled her to her feet.

_Hurry._

"Agasa-Hakase…?" she called worriedly, heading upstairs. She distantly heard snoring. How late was it? If Agasa-Hakase was asleep upstairs, what had happened? Hard as she worked, it took a lot to pull her out of it. So why…?

On a random impulse, she wandered over to the door, peering out at Kudo's house. There were no lights. Why should that strike her as so odd?

Still not quite knowing why or what pulled her forwards, she wandered out into the road, creeping towards Kudo's house. Even for an autumn night, it felt unusually cold.

* * *

"Come on, come on!" Akemi begged her sister. The girl couldn't quite hear her, but it was clear that somehow their will was influencing her anyway, because she wandered up to the Kudo house almost in a trance. It wasn't fast enough.

"Dammit!" Shuuichi was straining at the leash. Akemi had never quite understood why her sister could act as his anchor, but she felt touched that he cared so for her family. He also cared a lot about Kudo Shinichi. Their meeting of the minds had been of immense proportions, and the amount of time Shuuichi had spent haunting the boy had left him very attached to his safety. For once, he was _furious_ about being dead; it left him impotent at a moment when his friend was in danger.

Her parents were trying to push Shiho forwards, though they couldn't touch her. _All_ of the ghosts feared for Kudo's safety. All ghosts developed a faint emotional link if they were connected to a Reikai-tantei, but more than that he gave them power. Dead souls, if left unavenged and unattached, generally got weaker, until they were nothing more than a sentient wind and perhaps a mist to the eyes of shamans. Those with living anchors lasted longer, but even they would weaken as their anchors aged and died. Those connected to a Reikai-tantei only grew stronger and stronger… strong enough to affect the physical world.

"What?"

"Shuuichi, what's wrong?" Akemi asked worriedly. She stared in surprise as suddenly a dozen ghosts materialized around them, the glowing white figures of the two Kids most visible as they headed determinedly up to the Kudo mansion. Shiho shivered violently as the temperature plummeted.

"He's letting us through?" Akemi said hopefully.

"He'd summon us straight if he was in danger," Shuuichi said, grabbing her hand and dragging her upwards. "No, it's simply that the block he's put on us has broken down… meaning that he's probably unconscious… and worse if we don't get there fast…"

* * *

Bourbon paused in the doorway of Kudo's room, tightening his hold on the unconscious little body. Shivers were running down his spine, but he couldn't quite tell why. Was someone else in the building?

He shifted his grip on Kudo, drawing the handgun with the real bullets in it and peering into the dark corridor.

It was a little bizarre. There was nothing there, but… no, it was just a trick of the moonlight and his own paranoia forming the shadows into odd shapes. Nothing more.

Something smacked into the back of his head with a cold _crack_ and the _tinkle_ of shattered glass. He turned, rubbing his head- _carefully_, as it was with the hand holding the gun- to brush out the fragments of glass. When he glanced down at his feet, all he saw was a cracked photo frame, the glass within completely shattered from impacting with his skull. He looked up into the room. It was dark and empty.

Aside from the textbooks which were floating up into the air before launching themselves at him.

* * *

Toichi whistled merrily as he juggled textbooks and tossed them at the head of the man clutching Kudo. In his unconsciousness, his shadow-self had vanished, leaving the boy horribly vulnerable-looking. And that made Kaito _angry_.

As his anger rose, so did the objects around him. He stared in surprise as he levitated a keyboard. Other ghosts were beginning to throw things at the blond man, deriving a dark group pleasure as a football hit him on the bridge of his nose, smashing his glasses. Growling angrily, he began firing into the room, shooting down the levitating objects but obviously having no effect on the ghosts, some of whom were also twisting the moonlight and shadows into disturbing shapes. Shuuichi and Akemi appeared, and though most of the small throwable objects were gone they seemed to have an evil plan in mind.

"All we are is memory and emotion, Kaito," Toichi said softly. "And when our emotions are powerful, so are we."

"Then I've always wanted to try this…"

* * *

"_Calm, critical thinking. This is an illusion, a trick, some kind of self-defence- HOLY SHIT!"_

Bourbon rolled out into the hall, flinging Kudo aside as the entire goddamn _bed_ flew at him. The boy ended up in the projectile furniture's path, but it abruptly halted a second before crushing him. Bourbon raised his gun again, rapidly trying to figure out what the hell to shoot at.

Then the bedcovers suddenly rose in a grotesque mockery of a human form, drifting towards him.

"_Not logical. Does not compute. In layman's terms- you are just taking the piss now._"

Bourbon fired a couple of shots at the possessed bedsheet, but they passed through with no effect. Giving it up, he rolled to grab Kudo and just leg it-

The boy was sitting on top of the bedframe, hall decorations and photo frames hovering around him.

"Looks like the game's over, Bourbon," the boy said coldly. "You wouldn't be trying to just kidnap me spontaneously like this if you had other proof of who I am."

"I can still explain my theories," Bourbon said. "And I can come back."

"You do that," the little detective said, snapping his fingers. Two vases whipped past his head and only Bourbon's sharp reflexes saved him from being hit by them as he leapt away. "But I don't think you know quite what you're dealing with yet." He grinned mirthlessly, a disturbing expression on the cheerful-acting child. "It isn't Holmes you should look for now, for there are many more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in his philosophy…"

"That's impossible," Bourbon muttered, but the floating furniture suggested otherwise. The floating bedsheet dropped over his head, and the shadows and moonlight twisted around him and seemed to _whisper_…

At this point, even cold-hearted murderers have to just give up and run for it, which is what Bourbon did, leaving the haunted house behind.

* * *

* * *

_This was a lot of fun to write XD It worries me, though… it feels a bit forced in…_

_Going back to school sucks, __**Marie Ravenclaw **__DX Your brother's a two-year-old gamer? Good on him! XDXD Akako's words hurt Shinichi as much as they would have hurt Kaito… I don't need more plunnies right now XDXD Did you get into the one you wanted? And yes, I did… ^_^; School makes me brainfart, I think that last chapter was riddled with typos… Get a good sleep now! ^_-_

_What makes you think that, __**nataeiy1**__? XDXDXD Nahh, I'm just an angst addict…_

_Tragic, isn't it, __**Pretztailfan95**__? Actually, the premise of Reikai-tantei was slightly nicked from the early chapters of Yuu Yuu Hakusho… Shinichi's a different type of Reikai-tantei though, as Akako explained, so don't expect to see him firing a reigun at any murderers… those shoes are enough XDXD I may cameo Botan, though… XDXD Yeah, shinigami are similar to the Grim Reaper of western mythology… Reikai means "Spirit Realm"._

_I don't know why I like the name Minami, __**kaitoushinichi**__, I just do XDXD so it's always the name I use for her… writing Akako is fun too XD_

_For the purposes of the fandom, __**SetoJouFan**__, everybody's bi (just like Captain Jack) XDXDXD If Akako ever appeared in DC, she would probably break it… which must be why she hasn't… XD_

_Shinichi didn't confront Ran, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__, but a confrontation has happened… and yes Akako is creepy awesome XDXD I love her… Shinichi, again, went home. I don't think I did this part very well, but basically it's the only place where he can really be alone and he doesn't think that Bourbon is back. Yeah, I didn't explain that too well…._

_Arigatou, __**llamaglamasama**__! If it made you cry, then it did its job… I cried writing it because I had to really think about how Minami felt… T_T I know, I stuck that in as a joky name and then got the idea of using it as a premise for Akako's conversation with him… typo alert last chapter. My brain was deeeead DX_

_This is what happens next, __**bloddy raptor**__ XDXD_

_Arigatou Gozaimasu, __**Phantom-Akiko**__… Glad you like the angst ^_^_

_I've gotcha now, __**Cat**__! XDXD As ever, I'm impressed with your English… and the uber-angst period is slowing down a bit now, but it's not over… Akako is awesome :)_

_It's angstfic, __**AmaryMei**__… glad you think I do it so well ^_^ Just remember, it's all for the KaiShin… XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	14. 13:Struggle

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

_**Struggle**_

"What the hell were you _thinking_?!" Akai ranted at Kudo as he shook his head, trying to wave off the drowsiness. He'd put up a good Poker Face for Bourbon, but it was clearly taking him a lot to stay awake. He ignored Akai, running down the stairs, but tripping in his semi-consciousness-

The bedsheet caught him, flown over and drawn taut by a panicking Kaito. He rolled off of it and onto the floor at the bottom, grabbing his shoes and skateboard.

"No time!" he cried, running past Ai, who jumped out from a bush in his front garden that she'd been hiding in, probably ever since she spotted Bourbon heading for the door, with questions in her gaze and on her tongue. "Can't let them get away!"

"Kudo, stop!" Kaito yelled, flying after him, the angry ghosts still in tow. He saw Ai's face as he flashed past, gaping as a few projectiles flew with them, including the bedsheet that Kaito was carrying. Kudo was gonna have a _lot_ of explaining to do…

"_If he survives,_" he thought fearfully. Kudo was in a dicey emotional state and, thanks to the sleeping drugs, not too sharp a mental state. His physical state for dealing with these bastards was kind of a given; about four feet and a hundred or so pounds short of being any use. "_Has he really thought this through? Stupid question. If he had, he wouldn't have been there. Now all he knows is he's got a lead and he's running with it… or rolling,_" he amended, seeing Kudo jumped onto his skateboard and shoot off after a departing motorcycle.

"Dammit," Akai snarled. "Suppose he's got a point, we can't let that bastard get away now… Kudo!" he yelled, catching up to the boy on the skateboard. "At least call in the FBI!" Kudo nodded, dragging a mobile out of his pocket and hitting something on speed dial. He wobbled a little on taking a corner, but Toichi caught him, pushing him upright. Bourbon came into clear view for a few seconds and was pelted with books and ornaments as the ghosts chattered and howled, caught up in the current of emotion, of anger at someone who had tried to destroy the one person tying them to both this world and themselves; hatred of someone who, perhaps, embodied their murderers- or was a member of them, at least.

"We can touch him?" Kaito said in surprise, reaching out himself and being shocked and not a little pleased to be able to place a hand on Kudo's shoulder, holding the boy steady as he wavered again. Kudo shivered as if he had been doused in cold water- though that was probably a good thing, it would help him stay awake- but didn't stop the flow of rapid talk to somebody in the FBI.

"Yep," Toichi confirmed. "I wonder if we can grab that bastard on the bike…?" He shot forward, but it was hard to get far enough away from Kudo to do so; the bike was faster than the board…

"There are two more coming!" Akemi screamed, indicating a backroad. Kaito could see them coming, and while the ghosts, capable of hovering twenty feet in the air, could see the bikers and Kudo long before they could see each other, they were going to converge straight onto Kudo; they'd _see_ him…

"Look out!" Kaito yelled, aiming for the approaching bikers in black, desperate to stop them. At that speed, they were going to crash into him before they saw him. They'd _kill_ him!

He couldn't touch the bikers- they weren't connected to the spirits as Kudo was. But the bedsheet could. It flew into the face of one of them, who yelled out in shock at the sudden linen attack, and when he tried to bat it away it tangled in the wheels…

Kudo screeched to a halt as Akai grabbed him sharply a moment before the crashing bike slewed across the road in front of him, throwing its rider into a lamppost with a sickening _thud_. He lay still- no danger any more. The second one kept going after Bourbon, but for a moment Kaito saw the tiniest nod towards Shinichi…

"I'll let you know," a voice said. To Kaito's shock, it was a ghost, following the second rider; a man with short, dark hair and slightly western features. Kudo nodded back, a little slowly, then stepped off of his board.

"…there's been a few developments in the past ten seconds," he said into the phone, rubbing his eyes. "I need to meet you at the following location. Bring an ambulance…"

* * *

Bourbon started as another motorbike passed him, but then the rider made a hand signal; this, then, was a Raven, one sent to meet with him.

Shit. He'd failed. He didn't have the goods; didn't even have any proof that the goods even existed. And Kudo was onto him now. Sherry would be too, and the FBI. Dammit, dammit, _dammit_…

The other bike moved in front of him, as if leading him. "_It'll be easy enough to make a sharp turn here, to drive away and escape… it's difficult to hide from the Shadow Syndicate, of course, but as Kudo's proven, not impossible…_" He glanced into his wing mirror.

Three more were following him. He felt his blood freeze.

"_So. They thought ahead of me, did they…?_" Two moved up alongside him, one remaining behind; they were taking no chances. The synchronized effect was slightly creepy, though Bourbon knew well that they were wearing earpieces underneath the helmets to coordinate, no doubt they already knew that one had crashed a while back, attacked by the same bedsheet that had flown at Bourbon in that… _house_.

Yeah, the Shadow Syndicate was a bit less creepy after that place. Bourbon never doubted the evidence of his own eyes and never doubted his memories. Something had happened there that he couldn't explain. Not just Kudo waking up rapidly from the sleeping dart- well, he handled the damn stuff often enough himself, and had probably been on the receiving end of a few lungfuls of sleeping gas given how often he chased the Kaitou Kid. The flying objects… it could have been a wire setup, they could have been rigged.

The only problem was, the only person who'd been around that house enough to set such things up was _him_. And he'd spent a _lot_ of time planning for this. If there was any such setup in the house, he'd have found it.

And that wouldn't explain how the sheet and a few other impromptu projectiles had followed him, either.

He smiled vaguely as he saw that they were approaching a black Porsche, hidden in a side street between two abandoned buildings. So many agents out to deal with him… it seemed he had really screwed up beyond forgiveness. The sirens in the distance were testament to this.

"_There really is so much in this world that is so improbable,_" he mused. "_Kudo… you are the adversary that we never dreamed of, even in our nightmares. As a fellow Holmes fan, I suppose that all I can hope for you is that you never mistake the improbable for the impossible._"

"_But do not forget… if I could be assured of your destruction, I would happily accept my demise_…"

He smiled a little broader.

* * *

"… I can't believe that we just did that," Kaito sighed, rubbing his eyes and glancing at Kudo, who was curled up on his futon at the Mori Detective Agency where he'd been dropped off by an FBI agent, an American woman with short blonde hair and glasses almost as big as Kudo's fake ones. He was sleeping off the effects of the sleeping dart, which he'd barely managed to stay awake from.

The Raven that had crashed had transpired to be called Vodka, who was now laid up in hospital with a concussion and broken arm and an FBI guard 24/7. The American woman, Jodie, was going to come back the next day, since she had questions for Kudo but he'd pretty much passed out as soon as the FBI showed up. Bourbon had vanished, however, as had the other Raven…

"She's a CIA agent, Hondo Hidemi," Akai explained. "That was her father following her, Hondo Ethan. He'll let us know what happened- and what explanations, if any, Bourbon comes up with for our little haunted house."

"That was fun," Toichi chuckled, lounging on the air. "I've been wanting to try being a poltergeist."

"Did we seriously just possess and wreck Kudo's stuff?" Kaito said, still staring at Kudo.

"Yes, yes we did," Irish said briskly as he floated past, chatting to Pisco. "Throwing the bed was impressive."

"Yes, that _was_ an incredible bit of rage from you," Akai laughed. "You must have been angrier than anybody…"

"I _was_ pretty pissed off…" Kaito hedged. He was a little confused himself. He could remember the strength of the rage flowing through him, the _power_ of it, the fear that Kudo would die…

"_It's just because we're linked in some freaky supernatural way, right?_" he thought uneasily, watching the sleeping boy. "_That's why I got so pissed off… besides, he's sort of a friend… and if he dies, we're all screwed… right? That's it, isn't it?_"

"The light refraction trick was clever," Toichi commented to Akai, distracting him from bedevilling his son, for which Kaito was grateful. Divested of their attention, he drifted over to Kudo, who was twitching uncomfortably in his sleep. He was annoyed at the kid for being so stupid, but he'd only acted this stupid (as far as Kaito knew) once before- when Ran had pretty much dumped him. It was stupid, but Kaito knew that if he could have, he'd have run from Kudo when he'd heard Aoko. He certainly could have gotten away from Aoko.

He couldn't anchor to her.

He hadn't told Kudo, but he felt like the detective had noticed something bugging him at the school. He'd tried to switch his anchor to her, to follow her a little longer, but he couldn't. The connection, the link… it was just _gone_.

"_Why_?" he thought, watching the detective's disrupted sleep. "_Has she really given up on me that much? I know I should expect it, but… dammit, why does this have to hurt so much? So much that I just want to drop all anchors and fall into the blackness…_"

What the hell _was_ keeping him here? It wasn't like he could really do anything. He'd already told Kudo all he knew about the Syndicate. All he was doing anymore was watching those he cared about fall apart. He didn't want that. He'd rather have nothingness than be faced with the choice of seeing their pain… or seeing them stop caring.

"_Just let me go already_," he thought, reaching out a hand automatically as if to calm Kudo down. There was a familiar flash, and he was in a dream again.

It was just dark, but with disorientingly colourful flashes of light somewhere above them, distorted music playing. Next to him was Kudo, dressed in the same out-of-fashion outfit that his spirit projection wore. He was full size.

"Hey, Kuroba," he said, a little irritated. "What're you doing in my nightmare?"

"You can see me?" Kaito said in surprise. "Aoko didn't."

"Connected to spirits, remember?" Kudo said. "Although I guess I should thank you. Until you popped up, I'd kind of forgotten this was just a nightmare, you know?"

Kaito nodded, shuddering a little. He had had vivid enough nightmares himself, horrible things that had seemed so real. They were worst when you forgot that they were dreams, even a few minutes after you'd awoken, pulse racing and sweat pouring…

"So what's happening?" Kaito said curiously, peering around. Kudo sighed.

"I can guess, I've had this one before," he said. "A lot. I'm… it's sort of like the day I shrank. Once I move again, I'll come out of the mouth of that alley… and I'll see bodies. Ran, Kaasan, Tousan, Hattori, Agasa-Hakase… all sorts. Anyone that's at risk, which is more or less anybody that's associated with me." He flashed a weak grin, thin bravado. "Might as well get it over with so I can wake in a cold sweat already."

"It's just a dream," Kaito said, rolling his eyes, but he knew what Kudo meant; _it's not just a dream. It's fear. It's my greatest fears made real._

Waking up shuddering and glad that it was just _sweat_ soaking the sheets…

Kudo stepped forward. Instantly, Kaito could see a body. The Mori girl was curled up, and though there were no visible wounds, blood was pooling around her and she was obviously dead. Kudo stepped towards her, face pale but stern as he steeled himself for what he knew was to come. Kaito, whose nightmares often took a similar shape, could guess.

More bodies appeared, as if in a trail. A woman with blonde curly hair, whom Kaito thought he might have seen in some old photos. A man with a moustache and glasses askew who looked like Shinichi. A dark-skinned guy that Kaito recognized as a detective from Osaka. The three kids. The old man, Agasa. The not-girl Ai, her adult form curled around her tiny one. The body of Miyano Akemi, sporting a visible wound unlike the others- a memory, rather than a fear? And a man with long silver hair and cold green eyes and the mocking grin of the true bastard, standing, with a gun in his bloodstained hand.

"Gin," Kudo murmured. Kaito remembered the name; the man who shrunk Kudo, a cold-blooded murderer.

"So when do we get out of here?" Kaito asked, crossing his arms behind his head. Gin looked irritated. Kudo actually laughed.

"He's never gotten pissed off before," he noted with a grin. "Only you." Kaito couldn't help grining back.

Gin snarled and raised his gun. Kaito sighed, guessing that this was how the dream ended. There was a flash of white behind Gin, and Shinichi stiffened. Kaito glanced at the ground behind Gin's feet. "What the…?"

It was him, broken and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds, slumped against something. His white suit was rapidly staining red. "_Was that how I looked when I…_?"

Gin fired.

Kaito was floating over Kudo as he jerked upright, wide awake. He blinked at Kaito, looking confused, then blushed for some reason and looked down, wiping his forehead.

Kaito blinked at the flush. "_Did I just think… that that was kinda cute…?_"

* * *

* * *

_Heeeere's some KaiShin…_

_Glad to know he's getting into retro games, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__… I feel so old when I tell my young cousins that "when I was your age, we had to blow on games to make them work" XDXDXD Sounds like a good GPA, keep it up! (Is it weird that I only know what a GPA is because of Sims 2 Uni? XDXD) Ai has seen some things that severely freaked her out, and as for Bourbon… well, unfortunately, with a Reikai-tantei, hardly anyone ever just goes away… _

_It's not quite over, __**Nataeiy1**__… glad you like it!_

_Hajimemashite, __**Suigetsudan**__! Angst is supposed to be depressing… glad it's doing its job XDXD Bourbon pissed off the spirits, which will not be fun for him…_

_Never watched Danny Phantom myself, __**csiphantom**__, but glad you're having fun XDXD Hajimemashite! Kaito is awesome indeed ;)_

_Ghosts have powers only when they're totally pissed, __**Phantom-Akiko**__, but the BO are very good at pissing people off… ;)_

_I'm just glad that you review, __**Cat**__, and so nicely too! The angst will return (one of the protagonists is dead, after all), but awesomeness is going to increase… as is the KaiShin… ;)_

_The ghosts managed to wake Shinichi up, __**Rune Silverstar**__, but the sleeping dart is still affecting him… Possession will be dealt with later. And I can't imagine Ai missed the projectiles flying past her…_

_I love writing PolterKaito, __**SetoJouFan**__ XDXDXD they didn't quite control her, just influenced her, giving her a very strong inclination to go to the Kudo house…_

_But ghosts are awesome, __**Pretztailfan95**__! Especially yaoi ones XDXDXD Oooh, a doujin? What about? :D_

_It was fun to write, __**KaitouShinichi**__, so I'm glad it was fun to read ;)_

_Arigato, __**bloddy raptor**__ XDXDXDXD_

_Yes it was, __**xxKazuki-chanxx**__ Hajimemashite!_

_It's all for the KaiShin, __**Questionable Answers**__. Kaito? Back to life? Could that be possible? Hmm… [insert evil author laugh here]_

_Angry ghosts are fuuuuun, __**tsuanyue…**__ Hajimemashite! (I'm seeing a lot of new people on here XD)_

_Kaito really wants to protect Shinichi, __**StargateNerd**__… now why would that be? :3 Heiji… will pop up sooner or later, but he's not central._

_Kaito is still awesome, even after death, __**llamaglamasama**__...____hope you like the second half too :)_

_Arigato, __**PlayingThePiano**__!_

_XDXDXD Glad you enjoyed it, __**AmaryMei**__! I wish I could draw fanart, so many scenes that I write are actually mental images that I have but don't have the skill to draw… THERE SHALL BE MORE! Yeah, I know he's Minamino Shuuichi, and while he's pretty in his human form, I like his smexii Youko form much more… :3 I'm not really planning to put any YYH characters in here, it was just a passing reference (though for funsies I may stick in a mention of "a blue-haired female shinigami" XDXD) I haven't seen "Ghost", but I'm glad the plot of my fic isn't cheesy! XDXDXD_

_Here's your update, Ivan's Kitsune ;)_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	15. 14:Coming To Terms

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

_**Coming To Terms**_

"… and I had to stop before the other one saw me," Shinichi explained. "They just left him, I guess Bourbon was a higher priority…"

"Still, they'll probably come back for him," Jodie sighed. "We've got him under guard and are keeping an eye out for their old tricks; we need to _keep_ him under our watch… though I'll check with the CIA in any case…" Shinichi laughed a little, dispelling a bit of tension. Vodka had received a considerably worse knock than Kir had, so wasn't likely to wake for a while, which worried Shinichi that the Org might attempt to simply kill him rather than rescue him, as Akai had so cheerfully pointed out. Shinichi was already thinking about plans, things to watch out for, ways to prevent the Black Organization from finding Vodka before they could get some information out of him. He tooled around with Gin all the time; he _had_ to have something juicy.

Plus, it was a helpful distraction.

The FBI had lost track of Bourbon, of course, to Jodie's irritation, but when Shinichi got back to the Agency he wasn't entirely surprised to see him there, shrinking away from a wrathful-looking Kaito while Ethan Hondo looked on in amusement.

"They caught him," Hondo explained when Shinichi stopped in the doorway, eyebrows raised, taking in the angry spirits- Kaito wasn't the only one who remembered Bourbon and did not take kindly to his appearance in their midst. "Decided that he'd brought Them far too much to the attention of the FBI and the police, plus failed to deliver the goods, plus got Vodka caught. He's fairly high up, though you wouldn't think it, and if they start interrogating him the Org's in trouble. Gin was pissed off."

"I ended up in a ditch, covered in petrol, on fire," Bourbon explained, raising his transparent hands innocently. "That was fun."

"You are _not_ hanging around here," Kaito said menacingly. "You filthy kidnapping-"

"There's nothing else to do with him," Shinichi sighed, increasing the irritation on Kaito's face momentarily, "but I suppose I can't stop you bedevilling him." Kaito grinned evilly. "Since you're staying _here_ while I go see Ran this afternoon. With him. After that, I'm going to need to speak to him, so leave him coherent, please."

"Without props I'm limited, but I'll see what I can do," Kaito promised, and returned to facing Bourbon, balls of spirit fire invisible to the normal eye hovering around him. Bourbon gulped. As a ghost he was invulnerable, of course, but for the newly dead it's very easy to forget.

"Hold on a moment," Shinichi said, pausing with a frown. He turned to Bourbon. "Are they liable to be on the lookout for Kudo Shinichi? Your answer will affect how much of a leash I put on Kaito."

I brought up your name," Bourbon said, causing the fireballs floating around Kaito's head to grow, "But he didn't even recognize it, I swear! It was hard to explain any of my theories thanks to Vermouth's scepticism anyway… and he was itching to kill me, I didn't get to say a lot. They're not on the lookout for Kudo Shinichi, I swear. I'm not sure that they're even in Tokyo anymore, my body was dumped in Yokohama."

Shinichi nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Kaito and said "He's all yours." Bourbon whimpered slightly.

"He's a quick learner," Shinichi commented, in reference to the fire, heading through to the bedroom and pulling the pill out of a hidden container at the bottom of his drawer. It reminded him that he hadn't spoken to Haibara yet; he wasn't really sure how to explain floating textbooks and bedsheets to her, and curiously wondered what scientific explanations she was attempting to make about them.

"Always has been when he's got a reason to learn," Toichi commented cryptically. He was watching his son with an amused expression. Shinichi shrugged and headed back towards his house, to find some clothes that _hadn't_ been flung around by angry spirits. As long as they weren't actually looking for him, and so long as no high-profile celebrities got murdered in the middle of the shopping centre, he ought to be fine.

* * *

Ran couldn't help looking at her watch every five seconds, even though she knew that she was ten minutes early still. She couldn't help being nervous, though. She kept going over what she wanted to say in her head, worrying about his responses, worrying that he wasn't going to show up…

Part of her wanted to get it over with already. Part of her would be happy to stand there forever.

"Ran!"

She nearly jumped when Shinichi popped up at the top of the escalator, looking a little puffed out like he'd run. It made her heart fall. _He ran? Did he really want to see me?_

"I thought I'd be early for once but I guess you beat me," he laughed, jogging up to her. "Want some fries?" He was indicating the shop that she was waiting outside of- or rather, a fast-food joint, the same one where she'd poured her heart out to Sonoko and Eisuke. Why she'd wanted to meet here, she had no idea. Maybe fries just helped.

"Sure, I'm hungry," she said with a little smile, turning to head inside. He gave her a calculating look, blue eyes sweeping over her as though they could read her mind. She almost wished he could. It might make things easier.

"So what's up, Ran?" he said, ordering and then sitting down next to her while their food was prepared. "You said you really needed to speak to me about something… and face-to-face?"

"Well, yeah…" Ran said, fiddling with her hands. "_What do I say? He's my best friend and I don't want to hurt him… but… I need to just take the plunge. I can't put this off._" Feeling a little heat rush to her cheeks (but no fear, once she'd been so afraid of the possible answers to this question and now there was only embarrassment), she took a deep breath and asked, "Shinichi… how do you feel about me?"

His eyebrows shot up, staring at her in surprise. To her own surprise, she managed to meet that piercing gaze, prodding him to answer. "Feel about you?" he said, leaning back a little as he appeared to think the question over. "I… oh, just a moment." He got up to go collect their food. Ran breathed out, though she could feel her heart racing from nerves. What was he going to say?

He took his time answering. He carefully set the tray down, selecting his items and putting them on his side of the table, ripping the paper cover off of the plastic straw and inserting it in the drink, slowly preparing and not _saying_ anything. Ran just started eating a fry, though she barely tasted it, focused on what Shinichi was going to say.

"Don't you want any ketchup on those?" was what he finally said, offering her the little red sachet, though he still wasn't meeting her eyes. He hadn't looked at her since he'd left for the food. Ran took it but didn't open it, watching him. "Ran… you're my best friend. You're one of the most important people in the world to me, and I know I wouldn't want anything to jeopardize that."

"You're my best friend too, Shinichi," Ran insisted. "I just… I have to know… am I _the_ most important person?"

"I… don't know," Shinichi said, but for the first time, he seemed hesitant. His cheeks pinked slightly. "Ran… you realize that I hadn't planned to vanish that day at Tropical Land. If it wasn't for that murder… and everything else… I was going to, I don't know, ask you out." He gave a little laugh, blushing heavier. "Like we weren't sort of on a date already. I didn't know then like I don't know now whether you're just my best friend or more, but if I hadn't had to go… maybe I could have found out, you know? But maybe I wasn't supposed to…"

"Yeah," Ran sighed, looking down. "Shinichi… what I really wanted to tell you was… I guess I was doing some soul-searching or something lately. When you left, it really hurt. I missed you _so much_. I thought, back then, that you _were_ the most important person to me. But lately, my feelings have been changing… or maybe it's been coming for a long time… I just wanted to clear up, now, what we are to each other, that's all."

"Wow," Shinichi chuckled, "we completely missed each other. I guess… whatever you're about to say, Ran, I don't want it to hurt our friendship. It still means more than anything to have you as my best friend…"

"Me too, Shinichi," Ran insisted, feeling her eyes sting. "You're my best friend and I love you. I'm just not… _in_ love with you. That's all I wanted to say. That's…" She stopped talking as her throat blocked up. "_Why am I crying again?_"

"Hey, don't cry," Shinichi said, passing her a paper napkin, though his voice was a little rough. "But… you're right. We need to clear this up… I mean…" he gave a forced little chuckle. "Thank you for telling me. Really. I'd rather you tell me than get a surprise when I walk in on you snogging Hondo or something…" Ran _eeped_ and flushed, making Shinichi laugh again. She couldn't help giggling too.

"That weird little sound meant nothing whatsoever," she insisted, giggling.

"Suuure," Shinichi responded with a grin.

"I was just worried…" she tried to explain, dropping the napkin. "I thought: what if he does feel that way about me? He's my best friend, I don't want to break his heart… but what if he doesn't? I'll have worried over nothing and he'll laugh at me…"

"Well, I'm laughing," Shinichi pointed out, "but really it's somewhere in between. Seriously. But… well, I'm just glad to clear things up. So long as we're still best friends."

"Always," Ran promised, holding out her pinky. Shinichi rolled his eyes but locked his little finger with hers. "Conan-kun told me that the kids at his school say that if you break a pinky promise, youkai eat you."

"Really?" Shinichi said, examining the digits. "When we were his age, wasn't it that you just went to hell when you died? Breaking a pinky promise was supposed to be the worst sin _ever_."

"Yeah, but _you_ wanted to prove that wrong…"

It felt a like a weight had lifted on Ran. They ate happily, discussing mutual memories. Slowly, she felt happy and comfortable again; more comfortable than she'd felt around Shinichi in a while, without any uncertainty or doubt. She knew where she stood now. It helped her feel calm.

"I guess I'd better get going," she said when they were done. "I was going to meet Sonoko afterwards…"

"For gossip and sympathy?" Shinichi said, joking but with his usual uncanny perceptiveness. Ran laughed nervously.

"Yeah," she said. She glanced over at him. He was smiling too, but there was something slightly strained about it… "What about you? Are you really all right?"

"Ran, I'm fine," he insisted, sounding a little exasperated. "Don't worry. Now we know where we stand, right? Now what's important is finding somebody who'll make you happy. I warn you, though, any guy that breaks your heart is getting a kick in the neck…"

"And what'll _you_ do to them?" Ran joked. Shinichi laughed, then suddenly hugged her.

"Good luck," he murmured, "and… thanks." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, then turned and walked away.

Ran watched him go, biting her lip. "_Was he telling the truth? Is he really… all right? Shinichi… I hope you find somebody too… anybody… who can make you happy…_"

* * *

Shinichi managed to make it into his front hall before collapsing, plopping down on the staircase with a defeated sigh. A glance at his watch proved that the pain in his chest wasn't anything to do with the drug.

Dammit. Why was that so hard? He'd known it was coming, he'd prepared for it… but it was still hard, to lie, to say that he didn't know how he felt about her. He _did_ know. But he had to lie. He had no desire to drag her down and hurt her. The last thing he wanted was to worry her…

"_It's worth it, right_?" he tried to convince himself. "_She seemed… happier… once she'd said it… so long as it takes that weight off of her mind… and we swore to still be best friends… I mean, it's not like we're breaking up and will never see each other again, we're just defining our relationship, she won't move on and… forget me…_"

That was it, though. He'd officially given up any and all claim to Ran. If she went out with someone else… if they made her happy… that was all that mattered, right? Even if it burned him that her faceless future boyfriend (who kept morphing into Hondo) would make her happier than Shinichi ever could have…

"Hey," he said, feeling the shift in the air nearby. "Do you think it'll be worth it… so long as she's happy?"

"Yeah…" Kuroba said, floating over to stick his head through the banisters. "So… you really did it?" Shinichi could just nod. He stared at his knees for ages, wondering when it had started, how far back in time he'd have to go to make things right…

"Hey, you told me that "what-if"s did no good," Kuroba joked, popping up half an inch in front of his face, causing Shinichi to jerk back in surprise at the proximity. "If you're her friend, then her happiness comes first, right? No matter who causes it."

"Yeah, I know," Shinichi sighed, rolling his neck. "I mean… that's how you feel about Nakamori-san, right?" Why did he feel like he needed confirmation about what to do? That what he did was right? "_Because Ran is the one person that I never want to make a mistake about… because it could be the biggest mistake of my life…_"

"Yeah…" Kuroba said distantly. "You know, I asked Tousan about it. How he would've felt if Kaasan remarried. Just as a what-if to kill time, you know? And he said… he'd be jealous, he's only human… _was_… but as long as he made Kaasan and I happy, if it made us smile again, then it would be worth it. If it undid all the pain he caused us..."

"Sure," Shinichi said, "But I don't want to know how your Tousan feels. I want to know how _you_ feel."

"How _I_ feel?" Kuroba asked, looking a little surprised. Shinichi flushed a little. "_Why do I care so much what he thinks? Because he's most likely to understand?_"

Kuroba looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well… Did you know…" he said slowly. "I… I couldn't anchor to Aoko. I tried. And I couldn't. I couldn't find that link. That connection… it was already gone. _Already_…" Shinichi winced. To be able to anchor to someone not related to you (aside from him, of course) required a link as strong as blood, and it was normally something that a ghost could only do with their widow or widower, or maybe an extremely close adopted or stepsibling. That Kaito had been able to anchor to Nakamori Aoko had meant that they were very dear to each other. That he couldn't any more…

"_The dead that we do not love slip our minds eventually._"

"_Is she _that_ angry at him?_" Shinichi thought, looking at the stricken thief, who was staring absentmindedly at his thumb as all of the joints bent backwards. "_Has she already forsaken him that much_?" For some reason, the thought that she had really, _really_ pissed him off. Maybe because he knew how much that would hurt him if Ran had…

"Hakuba was comforting her," Kuroba said slowly. "I was so _angry_. I mean, he's always had a thing for her… but… I also didn't want her to cry alone. And I guess… He's a good guy, really, even if he's a pompous prick… he'll look after her. I don't want her to be alone… so whatever it takes… to make up for how much I hurt her…"

Shinichi just nodded. He could understand. Whatever healed Ran's heart and made her happy was necessary. Her _happiness_ was a necessity, no matter how it happened.

He glanced over his adult body. It still had two or three hours in it, and he couldn't think of what to do with it. Just wandering would be kind of stupid; he didn't want to risk being seen more than absolutely necessary, even if They weren't looking for him. Besides, he might run into Ran, and how awkward would _that_ be?

What was he going to _do_ for the next few hours?

He glanced at Kuroba, who was now twisting his fingers curiously in all sorts of triple-jointed contortions. He had a thought, something that he'd only tried once before, just experimenting and, once, for a case.

"Hey, Kuroba?" he said, making the ghost glance up. "Want to try something…?"

* * *

* * *

_It'll be fun trying to explain things to Ai, __**Cat**__… Yeah, it was Vodka, and yeah, Bourbon is screwed XDXD Hopefully I'll be able to stop the introductions soon and focus on moving the plot, but there's a very important development still to come…KaiShin! _

_Bourbon tried and failed, __**Rune Silverstar, **__indeed largely down to Vermouth… I wonder what Hidemi will think of his theories. Ghosts have a hard time lying, and it's shown that Shinichi has a degree of control, so if he point-blank demands the truth they have to give it. Ghost double-agents, eh? He's still a bit of an emotional wreck, but if someone starts healing him, he'll be back to an evil mastermind in no time. Now who'll look after him? :3_

_Kaito can't link to Hakuba because they're just not that close, __**nataeiy1**__. Bourbon has nobody to anchor to except Shinichi, so he's kind of stuck. KaiShin ~ _

_There will be KaiShin, __**Pretztailfan95, **__ AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO! MUAHAHAHA! XD Seriously, what's the big deal? It's a cute and realistically developed couple (though we all know it'll never happen in canon T_T) _

_Vodka ain't going anywhere if the FBI have any say, __**Phantom-Akiko**__ She won't quite forget him, but she isn't really capable of forgiving him at this point, either…_

_That boy shall have skillz, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ XDXDXD sounds good! Glad you're doing well! Well, erm… Bourbon DID die… and he IS haunting Shinichi… he'll be interrogated later, but for now, Shinichi just needs to know that he won't die the second that he sets foot outside full-size… Why did Shinichi blush? He's trying to avoid facing that right now, but he'll have to sooner or later…_

_Thriller? AWESOME, __**kaitoushinichi**__! _ _Basically, Kaito attacked Vodka with the bedsheet, he lost control of his bike when he was blinded and crashed…_

_I bet they had fun doing that, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__, especially Kaito :3_

_Indeed they did, __**bloddy raptor**__._

_Knew you'd like that, __**Tsugumi Winters**__ XDXD KAITOU RAGE! XD The Syndicate just won't stop killing people… KaiShin time! _

_Evil laugh from __**HaibaraDaiFan**__- yes, Bourbon is very screwed indeed XDXD_

_If you like cool silver-haired guys and don't mind a touch of darkness,__** AmaryMei**__, I think you'd love SesshoMaru from "InuYasha"… I always go for the cool gorgeous types… SesshoMaru was first, then Kurama, then Toya from "Ayashi No Ceres", now Kaitou... _ _ *fangirling* I always wonder why there isn't a YYH fighting game, it'd be perfect… Poltergeists rule XDXD_

_Kaito can't really touch him, __**Aiti Teal**__, but I'm sure he WANTS to hug him. :3 Hajimemashite!_

_A very literally last-minute review from __**llamaglamasama**__ XD Ain't Shin-chan cute when he blushes? XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	16. 15:Possession

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

_**Possession**_

"Hey, Aoko," Keiko said curiously, the second the bell rang. She whipped around in her seat, dropping her pencil immediately, to the visible annoyance of the teacher who seemed to have previously thought that she _wasn't_ bursting for the lesson to end. "Is Kuroba-kun _still_ off? I mean, that must be a hell of a flu, it's been like a couple of weeks already…"

"Uh, yeah," Aoko said nervously, trying not to remember the words "_brain-dead_". Minami still couldn't bring herself to pull the plug, but there was debating about whether or not to reveal his identity… her Otousan had been threatened with suspension for not doing his duty if he didn't search the Kuroba house and officially write up a public report for the case soon. Until then, she couldn't tell anybody where he really was or why. "Obachan's worried that it might be bird flu or something, she's taking all of his doves to the vet's to be checked…" she lied quickly.

"Really?" Keiko said, her jaw dropping at this piece of gossip. "Oh, how horrible!"

"Let's hope it doesn't land him in _hospital_, eh?" Akako said smoothly as she glided past, presumably leaving for the restroom. Aoko jolted. Keiko didn't seem to notice.

"We'll have to set up a get-well card or something to go around, I hope it's not bird flu, I mean he really loves those doves, doesn't he…" she babbled on. Aoko nodded quickly.

"Good idea," she said. "I've got to go to the bathroom… I'll be back…"

As she'd thought, when she got in there Akako was already leaving a stall. She seemed supremely unsurprised at Aoko's entrance as she started washing her hands.

"Akako-chan," she began, but Akako cut her off.

"What are you going to do when it all comes out?" she said abruptly. "I understand that it is soon?"

"Yeah," Aoko sighed, sitting on the counter. The restroom was otherwise empty. "When Otou-san closes the case or Obachan pulls the plug, whichever comes first… I feel so sorry for her…"

Akako glanced at her in surprise. "I'm quite surprised that you're still so close to Kuroba-kun's mother… after how much he hurt you…"

"Yeah, he hurt me," Aoko forced herself to say, even as she felt the pain flare back to life with the admittance. "And it hurts being there, knowing that every time I was there… Every time we were doing homework or having dinner or just hanging out and being friends… he was _lying_…" even after two weeks, tears still stung at her eyes. She blinked rapidly to dispel them. "But obachan is my friend, and she's hurting too. She's lost her son, Akako-chan. Even if he was a mass-murderer… he was her _baby_, a long time ago. Probably still is, to her. It has to hurt so much…"

"You're a very sweet person, Aoko-chan," Akako said suddenly. Aoko glanced up to see the other girl smiling softly.

"I'm-? I mean, she's hurting…" Aoko mumbled. Akako smiled wider.

"And you put that above your pain," she said, shaking her hands and reaching for a paper towel. "You are a good friend. I just hope that you can pass beyond your pain… You deserve to be happy again too, you know. I hope you are."

"Thank you, Akako-chan," Aoko said, a little surprised by the other girl's warmth. She'd never been quite so friendly before. "I mean…"

"Well, you _are_ my friend, right?" Akako said, and then smiled again in a way that for some reason reminded Akako of Keiko. "And Hakuba-kun, too. He _really_ wants to see you smile again, you know…"

"Akako-chan!" Aoko moaned, feeling herself flush. Hakuba _had_ been very sweet and attentive the past couple of weeks… "he's just being a concerned friend."

"Suuuuuuure…" Akako said, laughing more at Aoko's flush.

"Akako-chaaaan!"

* * *

Kaito stared at Kudo for a long moment. Then, remembering that he had a mouth now, he said, "How the hell did you do that?"

"I figured it out a while ago," Kudo said, drifting upwards slightly. "I can, if I wish, swap the soul in any given body with a ghost, though I haven't ever done it to everyone else since it's probably an infringement of the host's human rights or something… But I've let people possess me, once or twice, mainly to help find stuff or crime scenes. It lets me freefloat for a while, anyway." He stretched his ghost-body (still dressed in the out-of-fashion clothes) lazily, one leg stretching up _above_ his head. He was used to the idea that ghosts had no limits. "The second you start getting any chest pains, just say, okay? I'll swap us back."

"Sure you don't just want to leave me to burn?" Kaito teased. Kudo rolled his transparent eyes.

"I would dearly love to," he sighed. "But I really don't know what would happen. The shrinking mismatches my body and soul as it is, if they're already out of sync who knows what'll happen?"

"Sure, sure," Kaito said, stretching and pleasuring in the feel of the pulling muscles, though they didn't pull as far as he'd like. "You're kinda inflexible, you know that?"

"Don't you dare try pulling any of your stupid stunts in my body, I'm the one who'll feel the pain in the morning," Kudo said warningly. "I'm being perhaps suicidally nice in letting you use my body, don't you dare abuse it." Kaito just chuckled and made for the kitchen. "What are you plotting?"

"I haven't had chocolate since I died, let me indulge," Kaito said, digging into the cupboards in search of the brown gold. "Don't worry, I won't ruin your figure." He winked at the irritated-looking ghost.

"I'm already regretting this," Kudo sighed.

"How come I can see you, anyway?" Kaito asked, desperately searching the fridge and grinning when he spotted chocolate ice cream. "Ah-ha!"

"My parents were here recently," Kudo said with a shrug. "But you might want to check the sell-by date on that. And I think it's just because you're in my body. Something in the ocular nerve, I think. You are _not_ going to eat that whole tub."

"Watch me," Kaito said, grabbing a spoon. "Say hello to tomorrow's indigestion."

"I hope you get brain freeze."

* * *

"Aaaargh…"

"Told you."

"I think you cursed me. Ghosts can do that, can't they?"

Shinichi just grinned, watching Kaito rub his forehead furiously. Yes, Shinichi was probably going to be feeling that tub of chocolate ice cream tomorrow, but who cared if Kaito was feeling the brain-freeze _now_?

He drifted vaguely around the room. It _was_ a pleasantly distracting experience, being a ghost. It took so much concentration just to _exist_ that he didn't have the brainpower to spare to worry about anything else, which was quite calming. Few could understand just how relaxing floating through the walls could be without partaking of something highly illegal.

Of course, ghosts could get lost in those distractions, as well. If you forgot about your troubles for too long, you'd forget them forever- and not just your troubles. Your memories, your feelings, your _self_…

Some ghosts dissolved into little more than fog, but the second Shinichi touched them, they returned to themselves, as if he bound them together. It gave him a sense of responsibility, as if he was obliged to help these ghosts out- as if he was the only one who could. From the way Koizumi has talked, he wasn't, but he'd never met anyone else who could. Hattori often seemed to almost hear ghosts, as if they were subconsciously affecting him, but maybe that was just because he spent so much time around death himself.

It also strained him, though. Times like now, when the pain remained in his chest even when he didn't technically _have_ a chest, when all he wanted to do was cut off from the world… he couldn't. He was beholden to more than himself. He had taken the duty of avenging those murdered by the Syndicate upon himself, and that also gave him an obligation, one that he couldn't escape no matter how much he sometimes wanted to.

Might as well get on with it, then.

The second he willed it, four more ghosts appeared next to him; Bourbon, Hondo Ethan, Akai Shuuichi and Kuroba Toichi.

Bourbon took one look at Kaito, still rubbing Shinichi's forehead in an attempt to dispel the brainfreeze, and burst out laughing.

"Oh, very well played," he chuckled. "_Very_ well played."

* * *

* * *

_Kinda short chapter this week, because my muses kept drifting towards _The Sea And The Sky…

_They've cleared things up with each other a little, __**bloddy raptor,**__ but in Shinichi's case at least there are still a few feelings floating around…_

_He hasn't noticed yet, __**nataeiy1**__, but doesn't the fact that he's using it at all say something? :3_

_Kawaii, __**Marie Ravenclaw **____ I don't think I've ever gotten over 65% on calc… yes, Bourbon is dead, but not out of the game… They're not talking to Ai yet, but they will soon…_

_I… have never watched Shaman King or Bleach, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ ^_^; He only really has power over ghosts, but pissed-off ghosts can affect the real world…_

_Indeed it was, __**kaitoushinichi**__ XDXD KaiShin will start to pick up, then we hit the shock-and-denial phase, then the what-the-hell-let's-snog phase… XDXDXDXD No, he's always been able to see ghosts, even before he shrank. He's done it before he shrank, but never before in an apoptoxin-riddled body…_

_It's actually sorta vice-versa, __**Rune Silverstar**__… XDXDXD He'll be evil masterminding soon, don't worry ;)_

_Wash your brain out, __**StargateNerd**__ XDXDXD It's not pervy… yet… XDXD_

_SesshoMaru-sama wins, __**AmaryMei**_ _ business sucks. I think Kaito had plenty of fun inventively torturing Bourbon XDXD_

_Not quite, __**Phantom-Akiko**__ XD I think Bourbon is distinctly unloved… everybody loved that scene XDXDXD_

_Put it on your updates and you'll always know, __**Cat**__! They haven't come to a decision on what to do about Vodka yet… It's all for the KaiShin ;) Yeah, the lyrics on Within Temptation songs are never very clear, but they're powerful… I love 'em _

_Hajimemashite, __**Renkin-chan**__, and I'm glad to so amaze and astound you! XD *bows*_

_Ahh, you're gutterbraining too, __**topaz-tantei**__! XDXD It was fun writing the poltergeist sequence :)_

_Try this, __**Questionable Answers**__ XDXD Gin was very pissed off indeed… aww, too bad. I kinda like Eisuke._

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	17. 16:Hellfire

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

_**Hellfire**_

"What do you mean, well played?" Shinichi said, frowning. Toichi glanced from him to Kaito, raising his eyebrows- a jawdrop by Kid standards.

"How did you-?!" he said in surprise.

"Basic soul transfer, call it possession if you like," Shinichi said, not looking away from Bourbon. "What did you _mean_, well played?" the grin developing on Akai's face was worrying him. It was the grin he got when he was plotting something, which was only well and good if Shinichi was plotting with him.

"We were about to beat him to a metaphysical pulp because he told them that you shrank," he informed Shinichi, jerking his thumb at a curious-looking Bourbon. Shinichi felt the bottom drop out of the stomach that he didn't have as he glanced over the four new ghosts.

"They _know_?!" He gasped. Hondo shook his head.

"They didn't believe him, most of them, anyway," he said. "Vermouth already knows, doesn't she? But the rest didn't buy it, probably because Vermouth was doing her level best to make the theory sound utterly ridiculous. I'd watch out for that woman, she seems to be protecting you but for what... Well, I think Hidemi was thinking about something, probably concerning clever plans liberating her from hospital, but she won't say a thing, of course. Gin, though, he worried me. More than usual. He looked… _thoughtful_." Hondo shook his head, before abruptly vanishing. He always did that, made his report and left. He didn't like being too far from his daughter- not that his presence might make too much difference if things went pear-shaped for her, but then, knowing how much damage angry ghosts could affect the physical world, you never know.

"I've only heard stories about this guy," Kaito said, his voice muffled by the pillow that he had slammed over Shinichi's aching head, "but that does not sound good."

"It isn't," Akai said. "He might be computing some links between little boys hovering around Mori Kogoro, whom he already suspects, although I'd be surprised if he ever really noticed you… he barely remembers those he's killed, never mind those he hasn't even been trying to."

"That's why if you're back to size, they won't be able to find you," Bourbon laughed. "They're not even _looking_ for Kudo Shinichi. You've been forgotten entirely, you may be pleased to know. I brought up your name and got nothing from anybody but Vermouth, and she didn't say a word."

"I'm not back permanently yet, though," Shinichi sighed, poking Kaito with his spectral toe. "This is just a temporary antidote, and I had time to kill so I made what is possibly the great mistake of letting this idiot use the body for a while. And the first thing he does is eat an entire tub of chocolate ice cream and give me brain freeze that I'm increasingly sure that I'll still be feeling tomorrow."

Toichi gave a fatherly laugh. "Ah, Kaito, you never learn."

"Hey, I got through the _entire_ tub this time," Kaito pointed out, raising the pillow, before wincing at the light and dropping it again. Shinichi glanced from one to the other.

"When he was six, he stole a tub of ice cream from the fridge," Toichi chuckled. "Minami heard his screaming when the headache hit and found him clutching his head and lying next to the half-empty tub…"

"So rather than learn your lesson and stop ODing on ice cream," Shinichi deadpanned, "you aspired to finish an entire tub?"

"Yep," Kaito said, grinning broadly.

"With _my_ body?"

Kaito just gave him a thumbs up.

"More importantly," Akai said sternly, "When you shrink back, Gin will be marginally more alert to kids. He won't be actively watching out for you, but... You'll have to watch yourself… and maybe step the "just a little kid" act up a bit." Shinichi made a face at the thought of having to prolong his sugary kiddy act, but Akai was right. Damn.

"I'll have to warn Haibara, too," Shinichi said thoughtfully, poking Kaito (he could physically touch his own body) until the thief tried to throw the pillow at him, grinning as it went right through him. Kaito just scowled and grabbed another pillow, shoving it over his head in the hope of warmth to dispel the brainfreeze. "If he's going to catch either of us out, it'll be her…" He frowned at the thought of confronting the diminutive scientist. He hadn't actually seen her since the poltergeist incident; he still wasn't fully aware of how much she saw or what she thought about it, and part of him was praying that if he left it long enough, she'd think she'd imagined it.

Then he remembered that this was the girl who had been contracted to chemically develop the Elixir of Youth- and had some success.

He'd just have to hope that she wouldn't brain him for knowingly letting a Raven into his house.

"So what're you going to do?" Kaito asked, peeking out from under the pillow. "I mean, either she's gonna have to hermit it in case he sees her, or get out of here, right?"

"Probably," Akai agreed. "He's unlikely to believe it until he sees her… he'll definitely recognize her. Or if you pop up and put a gun to his face. He might believe it then."

"Give me that chance," Shinichi sighed. "But she won't run. She refuses to."

"If you tell her Gin's after her hide, she probably will," Akai said dryly. "Anyway, your parents live in America, right? She could go there and be safe, but also keep in contact…"

"It won't be fun convincing her…" Shinichi sighed, then blinked as Toichi suddenly jerked past him, floating close to his son, reaching his hand out to him though he could no longer touch him.

"Kaito," he said softly. "Are you alright?" Kaito had dropped the pillow and was curled up, clutching Shinichi's chest, his face bright red and sweating.

"Heartburn, I think," he grunted. "I think that was _way_ too much ice cream…" then his fist suddenly tightened as he jerked. Shinichi froze, then shot over to Kaito's side. He tried to reach out to him, to switch their souls, but then something like an electric shock shot through him and he jerked back with a yell. It was too late! Something was wrong- He couldn't switch back! Trying to step back into his body hurt too badly for him to manage it.

"What's wrong with him?" Toichi asked fearfully, watching his son spasm with increasing frequency.

"He mistook the palpitations for heartburn," Shinichi said, running a hand through his hair, making it look vaguely like Kaito's. "It's too late to switch souls, it only strains the body a touch to do so but it's already under so much stress, he seems to be locked in until the transformation ends- Baro-!"

"Then what's going to happen?" Toichi asked, watching steam begin to rise.

"I don't know, I've never switched since I became Conan!" Shinichi groaned, trying to think and ignore Kaito's moans of pain. "I just hope it doesn't do anything strange…"

"You're hoping _he_ doesn't do anything strange?" Akai said dryly. Shinichi glared at him, then winced as Kaito screamed. He knew all too well what it felt like to burn, to feel your heart exploding in your chest every few seconds, and remembered it so vividly that he _felt_ it as Kaito jerked in the steam.

Bourbon was silent, watching Kaito with an expression of fascination. Toichi was watching him with a tortured expression, unable to stop his son's agony. Shinichi felt terrible, not just because of the memories of pain flooding his body. Annoying as the thief was, he didn't really deserve to get thrown through that fire. It was _Shinichi_ who had made the stupid mistake that got him stuck in this life, and nobody else should have to burn for it.

Odd, though. The steam was thickening, but he didn't instead to be getting any smaller. He was _flickering_, sometimes appearing to be wearing his Kid costume as his ghost-self momentarily overlaid Shinichi's body. His screaming had an odd double quality too, as if from two identical voices. His jerking and spasming kept alternating with periods of stiff rigidness, as if he was being electrocuted. Shinichi could feel his own ghost form twitching with him, though with sympathy or some resonant effect he didn't know.

Possession had strange effects on the body if kept up too long. When a ghost possessed a body, they were effectively moving a comatose form, since the soul didn't quite match the body; a number of normal bodily processes shut down, probably why it took so long for the ice cream headache to fade. Shinichi knew that the apoptoxin was easier to counteract when his body was weak with illness; what effect would a semi-coma have on it?

Then there was a vivid white flash. Out of habit, they all covered their eyes.

Something quantum happened.

When the metaphysical smoke cleared, Shinichi lowered his hand and blinked at his body on the floor where it had fallen from the couch. _His_ body. _Full size._

Somehow, Kaito's spirit had warred with the Apotoxin ravaging his body and won. Mind over matter. Literally.

"… What just happened?" Toichi said, nonplussed, watching Shinichi's body with an expression of concern. "Is he all right?"

"I'm fairly certain that he just broke something," Akai said softly. "Possibly the body, possibly the apoptoxin, possibly reality. I wouldn't put much past him…"

"…What the hell?" Kaito groaned, sitting upright, bringing the body with him. "I have a _hell_ of a headache- that brainfreeze had _nothing_ on this- so presumably I'm still in the body…" he stood up, looking down at Shinichi's body. Then he looked up at Shinichi. "Hold on a mo, I thought you shrank when that happened?"

"So did I," Shinichi said, grinning triumphantly. "Trust you to defy all physical laws. Again." He thought for a brief moment of asking Ai to come up with a scientific explanation, but he didn't really feel like making the tiny biochemist's brilliant brain explode. Probably it was because of the weakened body that the apoptoxin had been easier to destroy, but part of him wanted to file it under "because it's Kaito".

"Very interesting indeed," Bourbon mused with a little smile. "They might not actually be able to find you now… they weren't looking for you anyway, but now they won't find you even if they do know to look for kids…" He vanished, possibly to discuss events with Pisco and Irish, and Akai followed him, leaving Shinichi alone with the two Kids.

"This might be permanent?" Kaito said in surprise, glancing down at the body.

"Let's hope so," Shinichi said, still grinning. He could barely believe it. He was back! "Now give me my body back." He made to dislodge Kaito and return to his body.

At this point it is important at this point to remember that all human language evolved as a means to direct others to ripe fruit, plan hunts and occasionally propose mating. It was not designed to work well in anything beyond three dimensions, and doesn't always do the job in those. It has no chance in seven. For this reason, there is simply no way to describe what Shinichi tried to do to dislodge Kaito and return to his body, nor to explain how or why it didn't work. Suffice it to say that a few minutes and several increasingly desperate attempts later, Shinichi was still outside of his body and Kaito was still in it. Kaito was beginning to panic, Toichi was beginning to laugh, and Shinichi was rapidly becoming a very malevolent spirit.

* * *

"… So I don't know what he was planning, really," Camembert said testily. "He said that he had proof that the drug worked and could bring it and Sherry… he wouldn't say what, though."

"And the next thing we know, the FBI are set after him," Vermouth sighed, "and now they have Vodka. Dear me. I suppose we shall have to reclaim him too…"

"Somehow, I get the feeling that it won't be that easy," Gin growled. He nodded at Camembert, signalling that the scientist could go, which he did quickly. He was a domineering man, but he was also highly intelligent (precisely why he had managed to make up a fair amount of the ground lost to them with Sherry), and thus disliked being on Gin's bad side.

"Yes, they'll have learned from the last time," Kir agreed, referring to her own capture by the FBI.

Gin didn't say anything, but gave her a glare that said "_That's not what I meant._"

Kir returned blank, deadpan stare that simply said, "_I know._"

"It's a shame about having to kill Bourbon, but it can't be helped," Vermouth sighed, steering them away from their staring contest. "The fool almost led the FBI straight to us. Kami knows what he thought he was doing."

"I'd say he hit his head himself," Gin grunted. Vermouth had to agree that Bourbon had seemed oddly rattled. After laying out his absurd (Vermouth had made _very certain_ that it sounded utterly absurd to the others) theory, he'd proceeded to warn them to be careful, because apparently a "power" protected the boy, and it was that "power" that had attacked Vodka.

Vermouth had been careful to ensure that this had sounded utterly absurd too.

Perhaps he'd hoped that his information would make up for the major liability that he now presented. Vermouth was glad of Gin's rather short policy on liabilities- who knew how much he might have said if they'd taken the time to listen to him?

"Well, I might as well send Chianti to stake out the hospital," Vermouth sighed, stretching and getting to her feet. Gin watched her go with suspicious eyes. Well, she didn't look back at him to see, but she knew he would. He suspected her. He suspected everybody.

"_A fine trait_," she thought, "_Among creatures like him…_"

She did intend to stake out the hospital- but first she had a small detour to make.

"_So, Cool Guy… adding a whole new dimension to the game, are we…?_"

* * *

* * *

…_Partly because if the apoptoxin is weakened by illness, it'd have to be nearly wasted by a semi-coma… and partly because it's Kaito XDXD __**HAPPY PANCAKE DAY!**__ I'm making my pancakes with chocolate chips ;) what about you?_

_It's not the same, __**Shadowborne**__. Kaito's body is, in a sense, dead; it's being kept alive by the machines but if they were removed it would die, and has effectively already closed itself off; Shinichi's body, on the other hand, is very much alive. Removing his spirit essentially puts it into a coma, but it's still alive; Kaito's body, it's been mentioned, is brain-dead, which is different to a coma. People wake up from comas all the time; there's no awakening from brain-death. Basically, brain-death is a way of saying that Kaito's body has closed the gates to spiritual inhabitation; Shinichi's body hasn't. So no, he can't force Kaito back into his body._

_She's currently trying and failing to think of something, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__ XD Yes, poor Shinichi, he goes through so much… but it is sweet of him to care enough about Ran to prioritize her happiness. I wonder, would he do the same for Kaito…? :3_

_It was a little shorter, yeah, __**Cat**__, but that's because _"The Sea And The Sky" _popped up in my head and my muses flocked to it XDXD No, Aoko can't just be thrown out, and Akako REALLY can't- gotta love her :) (and yes you did, but it's lovely to hear! Thank you! _ _)_

_I went here with it, __**Questionable Answers**__ XDXD I like him, but I wish he'd been around longer… there was a lot of character development potential there, but he only seemed to exist for the purposes of the Kir arcs… :/_

_I just wrote it the whole time, __**Phantom-Akiko**__… there might be more to "_The Sea And The Sky"_, but it was meant to be a oneshot so I haven't written any of it… a lot of people have been asking, though, so I might at one point. I put a poll in my profile. What do you think?_

_You're right, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__; it was less the being Kid than the betrayal of trust that hurt Aoko. I got the idea for that bit when I had brainfreeze myself… because I just knew that Kaito would OD on chocolate the second he got a body… XDXDXDXD_

_He may not have to beg, __**llamaglamasama**__…_

_Yuri, __**Pretztailfan95**__? Where? I know, it was so sad… T_T Kaito's mainly wreaking havoc ON Shinichi's body… XDXD ah well. I think it's sweet _

…_It does, doesn't it, __**kaitoushinichi**__? XDXD I adore chocolate myself, so I know how he feels :P He can, but he hasn't before, partly because it would involve explaining to the displaced person what the hell was going on, partly because of the risks of letting most of the ghosts loose in someone's body, and partly because he's fairly certain that it's somehow a violation of the other person's human rights XDXD He hasn't told another living soul that he can see ghosts, you see, aside from Akako, so he doesn't exactly have any volunteers. However, he should really think about switching someone with Gin… it could save his life XDXD I want happy endings for all, never fear ;) (Glad you like the trailer! :D) Homework is the root of all evil XP_

_Yay indeed, __**bloddy raptor**__ XD_

_Less violent interrogation than you were hoping for, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__? XD_

_Unfortunately other possessions will not be happening at this point, __**StargateNerd**__… but perviness… *muahahaha* XD Sure I'll join! Ooh, we get to be in SPLSHIMS? XDXD_

_He can do it to other people, __**AmaryMei**__, but he prefers not to… and it wouldn't really work with Kaito's body anyway, for reasons explained above… but you never know… ;)_

_I don't think Shinichi has much of a choice anymore, __**HaibaraDaiFan **__XDXDXD (I still have no idea what I just did in this chapter…)_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	18. 17:Awakening

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

_**Awakening**_

"…I'm still in the body, aren't I," Kaito commented, sighing heavily. The sensation of air rushing into his lungs was odd, something he didn't like to think about. They weren't _his_ lungs, anyway, but just operating a set at all felt stranger than it probably should. He saw Kudo float parallel to the ceiling and nod. He could see the ceiling lamp through the irritated detective.

"I thought it'd be easier if you fell asleep, but no dice," he said. "We have a problem on our hands."

"The only pair in here belong to you," Kaito said, cheekily waving said fleshy hands at their spectral counterparts. Kudo's frown deepened.

"Then we need to figure out some ground rules," he proclaimed, floating down to sit on the end of the bed as Kaito sat up. He stretched, and winced as he nearly pulled something- yeah, he needed to do some flexibility work. "From what Bourbon said, the Syndicate doesn't even know that Kudo Shinichi ever existed anymore. For some reason I get the feeling that cooping you up in here long-term would be a bad idea, so you _might_ be able to step into my life until I can figure out how to get back into the body- and the first thing that that means is that you are going to have to _listen_ to me."

"I'm all ears," Kaito said, pointedly flicking Kudo's ears. Kudo glowered again. Kaito knew he shouldn't be bedevilling him like this, but as a ghost Kudo had less power over him than before, and he was feeling a little bolder- and the suppressed urges to cause mayhem were rising.

"You can't act and talk like your normal idiotic self," Kudo said bluntly. Kaito mimed getting shot in the heart. "I know you can act like me, you're just going to need to do it all the time. I don't want rumours about my sanity flying about. No pulling tricks in my school, even if you're certain that they can't be traced back to me. _Really_ no acrobatics. My body is not made of rubber. No eating nothing but chocolate. And if I tell you to say or do something, you _say_ it, you _do_ it. I know you're a good actor, but I don't want to risk any slipups. Ran will catch just about anything off, and Hondo's liable to be on the lookout too. He's got all the coordination and balance of a child learning to walk, but he's sharp."

"And he will be watching you for the closest sign that you're ready to take Mori-san back too, I presume," Kaito prodded, causing Kudo to glare sharply at him. Then he sighed.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Irritating though it is to _me_, you've got to remember to call her Ran, not Mori-san, alright? I'll prompt you with names or whatever. Do _not_ look around at me, I'll try and stay in your line of sight and don't speak until I've spoken to you."

"Any more commands, oh master?" Kaito sighed, standing up and running a hand through his hair, then looking in the mirror. "That's just bizarre. It's gone straight back into place. How do you make it _do_ that? Kaa-san would kill for the secret."

"I think she'll need to purchase several thousand containers of hair gel for you," Kudo commented, floating after him to the bathroom. "Oh, and a necromancer."

"Don't remind me," Kaito groaned. He started heading through to the bathroom, yawning widely. He'd forgotten how it felt to be tired. It felt so _heavy_… "So what do we do now? Spend the day teaching the monkey to dance to the organ?"

"Basically," Kudo said with a shrug. "I still haven't talked to Haibara, and I figure as long as you can keep up your "me" act, your natural ability to slip out of anything should help us explain away what happened the day before yesterday. I don't know how much she saw or what explanations she came up with for it." Kaito nodded, glancing in the mirror. It was an odd feeling. Kudo _did_ look uncannily like him, but there were the marginal differences, not just the weirdly perfect hair but subtle differences in the lines of the jaw and cheekbone. It gave him a distorted feeling, like he was shortsighted or something, though he knew he had 120/20 vision.

He rubbed a hand through the hair again, watching it flop back into place. That was something else he hadn't particularly missed- grease. He sighed heavily, then starting unbuttoning the pyjama top. He glanced at Kudo.

"This body needs a shower," he declared. "A little privacy, please?"

"It's _my_ body," Kudo pointed out. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

"Oh, that's right…" Kaito said thoughtfully, then grinned lewdly at Kudo. The Reikai-tantei's cheeks darkened and solidified slightly.

"Keep your eyes forward, thief," he growled. Kaito burst out laughing.

* * *

"Damn…" Ai tapped the backspace key to erase the chemical equation that she had just gotten wrong. She kept making mistakes! What was wrong with her today?

She sighed and switched on the coffee maker. She knew what was wrong. She kept thinking about what had happened at Kudo's house. She still wasn't sure why she'd gone there. She'd just felt _drawn_ there- no- _pushed_. Some strong impulse had been pressing her towards the house, and then, suddenly it had vanished. She had suddenly realized that she was standing in front of the Kudo house, as if she had been sleepwalking. There had been crashes from inside the house, freezing her heart. Was something happening to Kudo? Was he under attack? She'd started towards the house but…

Instinctively, she dove behind a bush as Bourbon barrelled past, leaping onto a motorcycle that she hadn't noticed and speeding away. She prayed that he hadn't seen her, but from the fleeting look of fear on his face, she didn't imagine that he had noticed. Then Kudo had come past on his skateboard, followed by…

This was the part that _really_ kept distracting her, the part that kept popping up into her mind. Logic and reason and _common sense_ told her that she could not _possibly_ have seen a bedsheet, a lamp and five books _flying_ after Kudo. Her eyes and memory kept telling her that she did.

She hadn't seen him since, though she did know, from Agasa-Hakase, that he'd returned safely to the Mori Detective Agency. However, he'd have to come back to her once he'd used that temporary cure that she'd given him, if only to report on what happened. He couldn't avoid explaining what was going on forever.

She was just beginning to sip at the hot coffee when she heard a knock on her lab door. "Come in," she called, figuring from the height of the knock that it was Agasa-Hakase.

To her surprise, Kudo Shinichi walked in, glancing around and occasionally running a hand nervously through his hair. She narrowed her eyes on the hand. It was an unusual gesture for him. He blinked, and abruptly dropped the hand.

"Um, hey, Haibara," he said, quirking a little smile. He abruptly dropped the grin again. _What is wrong with him_?

"So I take it you only just took it?" she said, looking down at her coffee but watching him from the edge of her vision. He sat down on the sofa, glancing over at her. "Or have you just talked to Mori-chan?"

"Yeah, I talked to M-Ran," he said. Ai blinked in surprise. He kept talking as if he hadn't said anything amiss. "We're… we've cleared things up. The thing is… I talked to her _yesterday_."

"Yesterday?" Ai said in shock, this new information wiping her attempt to assess Kudo's odd behaviour. Was it down to this? "That can't be, unless you talked to her at _midnight_."

"No, yesterday morning," Kudo insisted. "It hasn't stopped, Haibara. The antidote… it hasn't stopped. Somehow… it seems to be working. I don't know if permanently. But longer than it should, definitely…"

Ai was fairly certain that she was gaping. She quickly closed her mouth, retracting the fish impersonation. For some reason, Kudo had paled slightly. Perhaps he'd had the same thought and considered what would happen if he mentioned it to her.

"But why?" Ai wondered aloud. "Did something change? Did something happen…" Kudo shook his head, but she caught it; the barest flicker behind his eyes, the most minimal indication that there was something he wasn't saying. "Are you _certain_ that nothing could have happened which could have possibly made a difference?"

"I really don't know, Haibara," he insisted. "Perhaps… even if my body was building up a resistance, the apoptoxin itself was breaking down, or something. You're the biochemical genius, not me." He cracked a little grin at that. Ai decided to accept the flattery.

"Let me have a blood sample and I'll check it out," she said, digging for a needle. She kept watching him out of the corner of her eye. His eyes kept wandering around the room, looking… curious? What was that about? He'd been down here a million times before, it wasn't like anything had changed recently.

"_He's impossible for keeping secrets,_" she thought, her frustration showing as she "missed" his vein, causing him to yelp in pain and give her a "I know you did that on purpose" look. "_And I get the feeling that there's more going on here than the breakup- he's been dealing with that prospect for over a week now. He _knows_ why he's stuck in his old body, he just won't say. Well, if he's told anybody, he's told Agasa-Hakase…_"

"So, Kudo-kun," she said instead, deciding the back off of the Ran issue for now, "care to explain what the _hell_ happened at your house the day before yesterday?"

* * *

"That kid's creepy," Kaito said bluntly the second that they were safely back inside the Kudo Manor. Shinichi sighed heavily, despite not even being able to breathe anymore.

"You're telling _me_?" he said, though he wasn't really feeling irritated with the thief. He'd successfully talked them out of the body-size question- for now, anyway, but with any luck Haibara wouldn't raise the subject again until Shinichi had found a way back into his body. He'd also dealt with the Bourbon question well, claiming that he'd caught Bourbon in there apparently double-checking the Kudo Shinichi issue and chased him off, at which point the FBI had intercepted but eventually lost him. No, he didn't think that They had any idea that Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai even existed, but it might be a good idea to stay underground a while to be sure, right? The FBI had found him dead already, anyway, so it was likely that, like Pisco, he never got a chance to say anything. They just needed to lay low for a while.

She never even brought up the flying objects, whether that was due to Kaito's silver tongue, a bit of scientific denial or simply the shock of the antidote appearing to work on him driving it out of her mind, Shinichi didn't know, but he was thankful. He wasn't sure how he'd explain it, though he was sure Kaito would have come up with something. The thief could talk his way out of anything.

"I think she thought I was acting oddly, though," Kaito mused, pulling off his shoes and wandering down the hall. "She kept _watching_ me."

"Just get some juice to replenish the amount of blood she took from you, _nothing_ with sugar in it," Shinichi said. "I know she does that deliberately but if we bring it up she'll just keep "missing" the vein. And she always watches me like that. If she noticed anything odd, she's probably put it down to the surprise of reverting to full-size form. She was worrying too much about Bourbon to pay a lot of attention to you."

"That's nice," Kaito said a little glumly, pouring out some orange juice. "So what happens now?"

"Like I said, I have the nagging feeling that cooping you up is a bad idea," Shinichi sighed, "and it would be a weird thing for me to do anyway. Might as well go in to school tomorrow and see how many teachers ask who I am and when I joined the class." Kaito snickered, nearly spraying OJ out of his nose. "Smooth, Kaito."

"That was almost as snarky as _me_…" Kaito sniggered, then paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "When did you start calling me "Kaito"?"

Shinichi ran over the last sentence in his mind, and then prayed that embarrassment wasn't showing on his face. He realized that he'd been thinking of the thief as "Kaito" rather than "Kuroba" for a while.

"Dunno," he said, a little nervously, feeling the urge to flush even though he was sure he couldn't, not having any blood or anything. "Sorry. Guess it was just because you were using my body or something."

"You can keep using my name if I get to call you Shinichi," Kaito asked with a disturbing grin. Shinichi nodded slightly.

"Sure, why not?" he said lightly. "Just remember not to talk to me aloud when we're around people, it'll just look like you're talking to yourself…" Kaito was still grinning. "What are you plotting?"

"Can I call you Shin-chan?" Kaito said evilly.

"Hell. No," Shinichi growled, hitodama beginning to form by _his_ head. Kaito barked out a laugh, waving his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I know, no third-person conversations. And no causing trouble just because with any luck I'll be out of the body soon and _you_'_ll_ be the one dealing with the consequences rather than me…" he paused thoughtfully. "Wait, that sounds like a good deal."

"No causing trouble," Shinichi said sharply, floating down to glare at Kaito, "because you _will_ reap the consequences when I curse you to the bowels of Hell."

"Can you _seriously_ do that, or are you just threatening me?" Kaito asked nervously. It was Shinichi's turn to grin evilly.

"Want to find out?" he suggested. Kaito shook his head rapidly.

"I'm a born gambler, but I don't like those stakes," he said, grinning back at his ghostly doppelganger. They glanced around sharply in an identical movement when the phone rang.

"That's Conan's mobile," Shinichi said when Kaito raised the phone in question. Then the smile drained from his face. "That ringtone means it's Ran. Dammit. I called to say I was sleeping over at Agasa's, but normally I'm back by now…"

"Oh," Kaito said, his smile also draining as he realized. He looked up at Shinichi. "She'll be wondering where Conan is, won't she? Do you have any ideas or am I going to have to wing it?"

"I was thinking about this last night, yes," Shinichi admitted. "Can you change my voice? Or do you need your trained throat?"

"It takes a bit of practice, but it's not too hard, really," Kaito said, his voice cracking a bit but being perfectly Conan's by the end of the sentence. "I think I can do your kid voice easy enough, men maybe, women probably not."

"The bow tie's in your pocket, use setting 64," Shinichi said, "and hurry and answer that phone. Repeat what I say…"

* * *

* * *

_Side note: Yes, yes, YEEEEEESSSSSSSS! I got into my first-choice Uni on an unconditional, which means that I can spend more time writing and less time studying. BOOYAKASHA! XD_

_The question of how Conan disappeared was something I didn't think of until halfway through this chapter, __**nataeiy1**__, but you'll find out…_

_I have fun writing Vermouth, __**Cat**__, because she's easy to interpret as necessary and also because, as I said in my psych profile of her, she enjoys doing things for the lulz… more fun from her in the future ;)_

_They're stuck with Kaito in the body for now, __**Phantom-Akiko**__, but they're always working on the alternatives… until then, fun is going to happen… XDXD I have ideas and backstories for the other three boys, actually, I'm just not sure if the stories would be as good as "The Sea And The Sky"… I mean, I put Ran in the Med, so Shinichi would have to somehow end up there, but as for Saguru and Heiji… I don't know. I'll write 'em while I've got 'em, but I don't know if I'll ever post them…_

_I just rub my forehead, __**Marie Ravenclaw… **__brain freeze happens when blood rushes too fast to your brain, so I guess moving limbs around to get the blood flow elsewhere is probably the best idea… Kai-chan is awesome indeed _ _and Vermouth? Hmm…. Aww, get some sleep! I know how fast the brain dies on sleep deprivation DX_

… _a plunger, __**bloddy raptor**__? ^_^;_

_Vermouth always has her secrets, __**StargateNerd**__ XD Perviness is fun… as is ice cream XD I think I already replied about the Yaoi Fangirl Ghost Army… FANGIRLS ARE MIGHTY! XD_

_Madness, __**Pretztailfan95**__? THIS… IS… FANFIC! XD Yeah, of course I know what Yuri is… I was just asking where you were seeing Yuri in here. I'm not doing the "everybody's gay" model… just "Shin-chan and Kai-chan are bi" model :P_

_He ended up in a ditch, covered in petrol, on fire, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__… I think violence happened XD He's around, but since Shinichi's staying home and the ghosts are still at the Agency, they'll be popping up a little less for now…_

_Fun times, __**kaitoushinichi **__XDXDXDXD What Vermouth knows is known only to her… Have a choco-cream puff XDXD_

_Kaito breaks the universe, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__… and chocolate does indeed rule! I like you already XD Glad Kaito makes you laugh… he makes me laugh, too. Sometimes he comes up with lines out of nowhere that have me sniggering into my keyboard ;)_

_Shrove Tuesday, __**AlchemicGoddess15**__… it's the day before Lent begins. Traditionally, you get rid of all the sweet stuff in the house before Lent so that you're not tempted… so you make them into pancakes. I'm not religious (I was never interested; I already had an imaginary friend), I just celebrate Shrove Tuesday so I can get pancakes XD And I'm glad you love it! Hope you keep reading and enjoying! :)_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	19. 18:Starting Again

**_Chapter Eighteen_**

**_Starting Again_**

Ran tapped her foot nervously as the phone continued ringing. Conan had been sleeping over at Agasa-Hakase's and had promised to go to school from there, but he hadn't come home yet. Where was he?

She was starting to think that nobody had picked up when a sleepy voice said "_Moshi moshi?"_

"Conan-kun?" Ran said, sighing in relief. "What were you all doing last night? Were you still asleep?"

"_Ran-neechan_?" he said, sounding a little confused. "_I thought Hakase said he would call and tell you_…"

"Tell me what?" Ran asked, feeling a cold knot of fear in her stomach. Had something happened?

"_Oh, are you going to tell her?_" he said, his voice a little muffled, evidently talking to somebody else on the other end. A woman's voice replaced his. "_Ran-san? This is Edogawa Fumiyo…_"

"Fumiyo-san?" Ran said in surprise. "I didn't know you were back in Japan."

"_I was just coming to the Agency when I ran into Conan-chan outside of Agasa-Hakase's… I'm afraid that my husband has been in rather a bad accident._"

"Oh my!" Ran gasped. "Is he okay?"

"_He's stable, but his injuries are quite bad. He wanted to see Conan-chan, so I came back to get him. I'm sorry if it was short notice._"

"Not at all!" Ran insisted. "After all… he wants to see his parents, right? You guys need him. Thank goodness… I was just worried that something had happened to Conan-kun when he didn't come back this morning…"

"_I'm very sorry to worry you. He dozed off on the flight and we only just got into the airport, so I think he's probably going to fall asleep in the taxi… he'll call again, won't you, Conan-chan_?"

"_Mm-hm_," she heard Conan agreeing. "_It's alright, Ran-neechan. Sorry I didn't call_."

"It's fine," Ran sighed. "Go see your father, alright? I'll see you, Conan-kun."

"_'kay_…" there was a _click_ as he hung up.

Ran closed her phone a little dejectedly. She'd thought of talking to Conan about what had happened yesterday with Shinichi. He was just a kid, but he often helped her feel so much better. But his family had to come first, obviously. He so rarely saw them. She prayed that his father wouldn't get any worse. It was a terrible thing to lose your parents so young.

She sat down on the couch, scrolling through the numbers in her contact list. She really _wanted_ to talk to somebody about it. She'd already given Sonoko and Eisuke the blow-by-blow, but they were both very close to the whole situation, and she really needed to talk it over from the very beginning. But who…?

She paused on one. She might understand. She nodded to herself, dialling the number. It picked up after only a couple of rings.

"Kazuha-chan, Hi!" she said, leaning back on the sofa.

* * *

"That won't work as a permanent alibi for Conan, will it?" Kaito asked, pocketing the bowtie and setting the phone down. "I mean, surely he'd have to come back and say goodbye?" He rubbed his throat. If he was going to get the hang of imitating voices again, he was going to have to practice; imitating Conan's voice was easy enough because it _was_ Shinichi's voice, just younger, but Shinichi's vocal cords weren't really flexible enough to do a wide spectrum of voices, and even the kiddy voice made his throat sore.

"It doesn't have to be permanent," Shinichi said, looking away a little. "I always planned to tell Ran the full truth when it's all over, and I will. With Vodka captured, the Syndicate will have to make themselves known soon, whether to rescue or neutralize him, and I'll be able to do more then in an adult body than I can in a child's. This can last as long as it has to. I just need to call her every so often…" he laughed dryly. "Pretending to be Conan rather than pretending to be Shinichi."

"For now, it's me pretending to be Shinichi pretending to be Conan," Kaito pointed out. Shinichi rolled his eyes, which Kaito was beginning to interpret as an attempt not to grin. "What about your parents?"

"I try to keep them as far out of this as possible," Shinichi grumbled. "And I made them swear to call ahead in future rather than popping up out of the blue and doing their level best to give me a heart attack…" Kaito frowned.

"You don't see that much of your parents?" he said, glancing around. "Come to that, you don't even live with them, do you?"

"Nope," Shinichi said offhandedly. "For… over five, nearly six years now, they've mainly been globetrotting. They check in every few months. I think half of it's tou-san messing with his editors by making them track him around the world…"

"You've been living alone since you were about thirteen?" Kaito said in surprise. He glanced around the house. It was _huge_. "Was that not kinda lonely?"

Shinichi shrugged, drifting lazily. "I've always been pretty independent and so have they. Besides, I had Ran to hang out with a lot…" he shut up abruptly. Kaito nodded, dragging the conversation back to parents.

"Hell, _I'm_ independent," he said. "I run around alone out there whenever Jii'll let me because I don't want to risk him getting caught… I want to handle this on my own. But I would mind if I came home one morning and Kaasan was off. I mean… they're your _parents_, you know?"

"And you never know when something's going to happen," Shinichi said softly. "I know how you feel about that. But in this case, trust me: something is _more_ likely to happen to them if they hang around."

"True," Kaito commented, stretching. "That's it, this body's getting this flexibility work done. Too bad you don't have any double-joints, but I _refuse_ to be this stiff all the time."

"Try not to damage anything," Shinichi sighed, though he fell into silence as Kaito started stretching his legs. Kaito went through a few old gymnastic exercises almost automatically- they weren't quite programmed into this body as they were in his own, so he had to concentrate a bit- but mostly his mind wandered, thinking first about his mother. He wanted to see her, to talk to her somehow, but he got the feeling that it wouldn't really work. What would he be telling her, anyway? "Yeah, I'm possessing this guy's body, but we don't want it to be for long so I'm really pretty much dead, you might as well switch me off?" Kaito knew that his body had been declared braindead, but as long as it was kept alive he couldn't help praying for some other solution. Surely there was some way back in? There had to be. Even if he wasn't supposed to find a way back in… well, getting into where he shouldn't be was his MO, after all. If anybody could find a way back into his own body, it would be him. He thought about suggesting it to Shinichi, but he got the feeling that maybe the detective would suggest it at an opportune moment anyway; He seemed to read Kaito's mind a lot of the time.

"_Or maybe he just understands me_," Kaito mused with half a grin. Being understood was, partly by design, something of a rarity for him, so someone getting inside his head as thoroughly as Shinichi was doing was a little strange, but not really uncomfortable. He trusted Shinichi, and that was weirder than anything.

* * *

"I'm very sorry about this, Minami-chan," Ginzo said as an officer passed him, carrying a boxful of folders. He shifted slightly to hold the portrait door open a little wider to allow some of the bulkier boxes through more easily.

"No, I know what your superiors are demanding," Minami sighed from where she watched from the couch. She was looking pale and thin, and didn't seem to be consuming anything but tea, a state of grieving that he recognized from ten years ago, after Toichi's death; this time, however, to some surprise, it was his own daughter curled up next to her, replacing her son. After all, it was her son they were grieving for.

"We just need to examine all of this at HQ," Ginzo said, stepping out of the way of an officer carrying a computer, "but I'll give a priority to those files marked "Shadow Syndicate". I'll bet good money they have something to do with his murderers, and if we can catch them…"

"Thank you," Minami said softly, though she winced at the word "murderers". She hadn't yet been able to bring herself to tell the doctors to switch off Kaito's life support, and Ginzo could understand; she couldn't bring herself to give him up yet, to give up the very last chance, however utterly marginal it was, that he'd be alright.

She had to, though. Sooner or later, she'd have to, or she'd grieve forever.

"Go ahead to the station, I'll catch up to you," he told the last of the officers as he left. The man nodded and then tactfully closed the door behind him. Ginzo carefully turned the portrait so that it was Kuroba Toichi and not the Kaitou Kid who looked out at them. Then he sighed heavily and sat down next to his daughter, chewing absentmindedly on his pipe though he didn't light it.

"What's going to happen to Obachan?" Aoko asked, giving Minami's arm a little squeeze. Ginzo glanced over at her.

"Nothing, hopefully," he said. "Not unless any of those files name you as the accomplice. We know that Kid had one…"

"No, it wasn't me," Minami sighed. "Toichi didn't really want to get me involved, and I didn't want to be. I… knew what Kaito was up to, but I pretended not to, and he pretended not to know that I knew. No, the assistant… I don't believe he's named. Just in case, he's already left for a little while."

"I won't bug you for a name," Ginzo said. "Anyway, you'll probably be asked to make a statement about how much you knew about your husband and son's activities, and if we catch the murderers you might have to turn up in court against them, but I don't believe that you can be prosecuted for anything yourself. The media is another matter, though."

"Do they have to know?" Aoko asked testily. Ginzo shrank away from his daughter as he could almost _see_ her temper beginning to spike again.

"Once all of this has gone through paperwork, HQ wants to make an official statement," he said hurriedly. "We have to say something soon, anyway. Rumours are flying about the last heist- that Kid's caught, that he's injured, that he's dead. If we've caught and identified him, we have to make a public statement about it; and that'll include naming him. We'll be able to keep the name of his hospital out of it, but just naming him will make it simple enough for some intrepid reporter to find this place, and then the vultures will descend." He snorted derisively. The media had always been a problem at Kid heists, and it burned him to think that their interest would only double once all of the news of intrigue and murder was added to the story. "They might not, of course, but we'll keep an eye on you and put up a police cordon to protect the house the split second we see a news van in the area. If we hold off the siege for long enough they'll get bored and move onto a fresher story. We won't let them get near you. You might have to buy your groceries online for a while but…"

"Thank you," Minami said softly.

"Obachan, let me make you some more tea," Aoko said, taking the teacup from her hands. "Otou-san, can you come with me?"

"Um, sure," Ginzo said, following her downstairs. He glanced back at Minami to see her staring at the painting of Toichi.

"I hope you're planning to go back to school soon," he grumbled once he and Aoko were alone in the kitchen. Aoko rolled her eyes.

"I'm asking Hakuba-kun and Akako-chan to bring me notes," she said. "Otou-san… I think I want to stay here with Obachan for a while. She's in a bad way, she's not eating or sleeping right… _somebody's_ got to look after her."

"And that's you?" Ginzo asked, half-surprised and half not that his daughter would take it upon herself to look after Minami. She wasn't wrong, the woman clearly needed some support at this time; besides, perhaps Aoko was seeing in Minami's condition, as he was, a ghost of his wife at the worst of her illness. She had never managed to pull back out of it. Minami's illness was at heart and not in body, but needed curing just as badly or the results might be the same.

"I…" Aoko fell silent for a moment as she poured out the hot water and dug for teabags. "I want to help her. She's my friend. Besides… maybe it'll help me sort out my own feelings. I still just feel so… confused…"

Ginzo nodded. "Alright. You can stay here. I'm going to be working night and day on catching the bastards that murdered the pair of them, anyway. And you're right… she needs help. Maybe both of you'll help each other." He gave Aoko a tight hug, before letting her go to take the tea upstairs. "I promise you, those murderers won't get away with this. Not for murdering Toichi-kun and Kaito-kun, and _really_ not for doing it before the brat got a chance to explain things to you himself."

"Thanks, Otou-san," Aoko said, bringing up a tiny smile. "Um… can you stay and help a minute?" Ginzo, who had turned to leave, looked quizzically back at her. She held up the tea. "I slipped a sleeping pill in here, she hasn't slept right in days, maybe not since… anyway, can you help me move her once she's asleep?"

"Is there something about this house that makes people sneaky?" Ginzo joked, glancing around. Aoko giggled, but looked a little uncomfortable as she took the drugged tea to Minami.

* * *

* * *

_It's all good, **Phantom-Akiko** :)_

_Filthy mind, **nataeiy1**! *is acting like she wasn't thinking the same thing herself* XDXD_

_Apocalypse, **Marie Ravenclaw**? XD You're getting sleep, I'm not… somebody needs to tell my pals what the word "SLEEPover" means... XDXD I do think that Shin-chan is a bit of a blusher around those he likes, though he doesn't realize that he's attracted to Kai-chan at this point… ;) Class is one of the most tiring things in the world, because it also saps your will to live XD_

_I wonder how he would react around fish, **bloddy raptor**… *gets evil ideas* XDXD_

_The gutter was overflowing with fangirly brains there, **kaitoushinichi**, no worries XDXD and as for Ai… hmm… XD *joins in totally innocent silence. TOTALLY innocent. Really.*_

_So violent, **Ivan's Kitsune **XDXD_

_There will always be Vermouth, **Cat**… I have an odd fondess for her ;) I wonder how Ai would deal with that… _

_It IS a KaiShin fic, **Pretztailfan95** :P Ai can be evil when she wants to XD_

_Thankies, **myvampirepuppy**!_

_Thank you, **Kyoko-chann**… yep, KaiShin is no bad thing ;)_

_Awww! Hope you're feeling better, **AmaryMei**! No heists planned soon, but given Shinichi's luck someone may drop dead… more KaiShin? But of course! XD That moment is so beloved of fangirls, it seems XDXD _ _ Thank you! And yes, Shin-chan is still quite fearsome… ;)_

_Hajimemashite, **simply anonymous**… a bit of a weak explanation, but it'll hold for now :P_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	20. 19:Acting

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

_**Acting**_

"… They're all staring at me," Kaito murmured under his breath as he followed Shinichi through the halls of Teitan High, which fell silent as the students spotted him. He was used to being the centre of attention, sure, but for pulling stupid tricks or saying outrageous things or generally by consciously putting himself in the spotlight; now he was in a spotlight that he couldn't control and wasn't going to fade away any time soon.

"Of course they are," Shinichi said, glancing around at his classmates. "I think about two-thirds were convinced that I'm dead, and the other third will be freshmen who never even saw me here and probably only know me as a school rumour. My just walking into the building out of nowhere is going to be a shock to pretty much all of them. No pranking."

"We already laid that one down as a ground rule," Kaito murmured, but clammed up as he followed Shinichi into his classroom. The entire room was silent, every head turned to openly gawk at him. Ran frowned irritably as she passed him, glaring at the class, which reminded Kaito rather forcibly and uncomfortably of Aoko's disposition immediately prior to a mop chase. Shinichi through a couple of guys and indicated a desk, which Kaito walked over to and dropped his bag on after a moment of imperceptible hesitation. The class was still staring.

"Geez, you'd think you'd come back from the dead or something," Ran complained aloud, rolling her eyes. She had been very shocked and not a little tense when Kaito and Shinichi had run into her on the way to school, but that had dispelled after Kaito had engaged in some lighthearted, friendly banter (he knew Shinichi's style well enough to replicate without her noticing any oddities, aside from when he'd grinned; she'd stared at him oddly and Shinichi had hissed that _he_ never gurned like a chimp with a new banana), and it was easy enough to Kaito to pretend that there was no emotional tension on his end, largely because there wasn't, though the expression on Shinichi's transparent face told a different story. It was irritating to have the detective permanently looking so downcast; it was increasingly grating to chat lightly to a girl who looked so happy even after hurting his friend almost more than Kaito could imagine (_almost_; she bore too striking a resemblance to Aoko for him to forget the ache in his own heart that still wouldn't go away), even though he knew that Shinichi prioritized her happiness over his.

"_That doesn't mean _he _doesn't deserve any happiness, though_," Kaito thought stubbornly, watching his friend glance around the room keeping up a running commentary to Kaito about who was who and what was likely to be individually annoying about them.

"… and he _will_ bug you about coming to football practice tonight, but I have a long proud tradition of not being on the high school team so please stick to it. And you need to be really, _really_ careful of-"

"Oh, so _now_ you're back, are you?" and angry female voice said from the doorway. Shinichi visibly winced, and Kaito frowned for the briefest moment before composing his face into careful surprise when he turned to look at the girl. Hadn't he heard that voice before…?

"Sonoko," Shinichi sighed. The recognition clicked in Kaito's brain as he regarded the angry bleach-haired girl. Oh yeah; Jirokichi's rich, fangirl niece. If only she knew who was really in the body. He considered a winning smile but this didn't seem in Shinichi's personality. Instead, he shrank back slightly as she stormed towards them.

"Hey, Sonoko, long time no see," he said, injecting a touch of nervousness into his voice. She didn't return the greeting, but instead proceeded with the ranting.

"You disappear for _so_ long, you break Ran's heart half a dozen times over, and then just when you guys are sorting things out and she's getting over you you have the _gall_ to…"

Kaito almost wanted to laugh at the mix of the self-righteous expression on the girl's face and Ran's ineffectual attempts to calm her friend down, but he could still see Shinichi out of the corner of his eye, and the detective was visibly wincing with the girl's words, as if she was physically striking him. That drained the humour right out of the situation.

"Sonoko," he said, not having to act to make his voice sound a little hurt, "Ran and I have already sorted things out. We talked, right?"

"We did," Ran agreed. "We're all good, right?"

"Right," Kaito agreed. "I just happen to be back for a while, is all, and figured that I might make a bid not to miss the _entire_ of my high school career. But everything's all right. We sorted things out between us. Really." Ran nodded hurriedly in agreement, attempting to soothe her angry friend.

Sonoko just "harrumphed" and flopped down in her desk in front of Ran's. "I _see_. Well, you're not borrowing _my_ notes to catch up."

"I'll be fine," Kaito insisted. "_And I will- unlike Shinichi I've spent the past two years in high school rather than grade school_." He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Shinichi, hoping that he'd have calmed down slightly now that Sonoko was instead pointedly ignoring him and chatting to Ran, but rather than paying any attention to the girls he was watching a figure in the doorway with a calculating expression. Kaito glanced over at him, but it took a moment to identify him.

"Hondo," Shinichi commented, unable to keep a trace of acid out of his voice. "This will be interesting." Kaito frowned slightly, then switched to a friendly smile, but Hondo had already noticed the frown and it didn't help him look any more comfortable. Ran noticed where Kaito was looking and smiled, waving Hondo over.

"Hondo-kun!" she called. "Ohayou Gozaimasu!"

"Oh, Ohayou," Hondo said, weaving his way through the desks towards them (tripping twice). "Ohayou, Ran-san, Sonoko-san… ah… are you Kudo Shinichi-kun?"

"Yeah..." Kaito said, as Shinichi frowned.

"Oh yeah, he knew I was Conan," he said. "But I've never actually met him as Shinichi. And he's… he's a good guy," he added, looking a little sad. "Be nice."

"Hajimemashite," Kaito said to Hondo, sticking to his friendly smile. "And you are…?"

"Hondo Eisuke," Hondo said, giving a little introductory bow before sitting at his desk. "Hajimemashite. I've heard a bit about you from Ran-san and Conan-kun…"

"Yeah, I was hoping to see the kid while I was here," Kaito ad libbed effortlessly, "but I hear his dad got into a traffic accident. Poor Soichiro-ojisan, I hope he's alright…"

"Conan-kun was very worried," Ran agreed, looking upset. "I wonder how he's doing… it must be horrible…"

"So he's left?" Hondo said, sounding surprised. "He's gone back to America?"

"For a while, yes…" Ran said, recounting the story to Hondo. Kaito was saved having to deal with Sonoko's glares when a guy with spiky bleached hair bounced a football off of his head.

"Oi, Nakamichi," Kaito greeted him at Shinichi's prompting. "It's been a while."

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Kudo!" The guy laughed. "Feel like joining the team yet? I'll bet you'd _still_ be the top player, and we could use you in the finals…"

"No thanks, Nakamichi," Kaito said, shaking his hand at him. "I'm busy, you know, never know when I'll be gone again…"

"Oh, you're not leaving again soon, are you?" Ran said in shock. Kaito quickly shook his head to console her.

"No, no," he insisted. "I'm not planning to. It's just… things come up, you know?"

"I know," Ran said quietly, and turned to talk to Sonoko. Shinichi visibly winced, and Kaito sighed inwardly.

"_Great. Just great._"

The bell rang, thankfully cutting off Hondo's inquisitive gaze. Kaito privately thought that Shinichi was right. The guy did initially appear to be a bit of a twit, and most of the other students seemed to take him as such, but there was something just too _calculating_ about that gaze…

* * *

"I'm worried about Ran-chan," Kazuha sighed abruptly. Heiji swivelled around in his seat to look inquisitively at his girlfriend, waiting patiently for her to elaborate. If she wanted to talk about something, he knew, she would- you just needed to let her set her own pace. He'd finally learned that pushing and bugging her was a recipe for an argument.

"She called me last night," Kazuha finally said, nervously twiddling her pen in her fingers at a speed likely to send the pen into orbit if she let go of it. Heiji mused that it must be bad for her to get _that_ fidgety. "She saw Kudo-kun…"

"Kudo?" Heiji asked in surprise. "_Guess he got 'is hands on another cure. Damn, something bad musta happened… maybe 'e turned back at the wrong moment or somethin' again…_" He hoped it wasn't _too_ bad; he knew how his friend constantly worried about what his absences were doing to his relationship with Mori Ran.

"They… had a talk…" Kazuha sighed, staring distantly at the pen as if she couldn't quite believe what she was saying. Heiji was getting _really_ curious now, and was praying a bit that she'd just hurry up and tell him before he snapped and started bugging her.

"_A talk, huh? Did he… did he _tell_ her?!_"

"'Bout what?" he pressed after a prolonged silence. Kazuha gave him a warning glance for pushing her, but told him.

"Heiji, they've broken up."

Heiji was fairly certain he was gaping like a fish. "_Broken up… as in…?_" "Whaddya mean… is it 'cause Kudo was gone? They really ain't…?"

"I'll spare ya the "girl talk" parts of it, we talked fer ages," Kazuha sighed. "But she said it was sorta like… they _used_ ta have feelings, and maybe they coulda been more, but… they just never got the chance, ya know? They're apart too much… they've changed too much… and their feelings never got to develop… like they shoulda…" Heiji grabbed her hand before she spun her pen nervously into the stratosphere and squeezed it comfortingly. "I mean… they talked about it. They're still best friends an' all, no question about it. But… they just ain't ever gonna be anythin' more."

"Do ya wanna go see 'er later? I know yer worried 'bout her." he asked. Kazuha nodded. "'Kay. I'll get plane tickets sorted."

"Thanks," Kazuha sighed, squeezing his hand back. Heiji gave her a little grin, but he was preoccupied throughout the rest of the day.

Six months in and it was still strange to be able to call Kazuha his girlfriend, but not _bad_ strange. They'd been on a history trip to Kyoto, Kazuha had cornered him into telling her about his first love, he'd just blurted it out like the idiot he was… and the next thing he knew, she was kissing him happily, something he was more than happy with himself. He'd had to bang his head repeatedly against a wall when he'd realized how he felt about her, how he _had_ felt about her for too long and been too dim to realize, but he wasn't unhappy. It had been all over the class by the end of the day, but neither of them really cared. They were _together_.

They still argued all the time- they wouldn't be _them_ if they didn't- but at least, as he made a conscious attempt not to be an aho for her sake, it was increasingly playful fighting rather than anything serious. Kudo had congratulated him on growing up, and Heiji had hoped, through his own happiness, that it would encourage Kudo a bit. For several months, Kudo had been growing increasingly neurotic about his relationship with Ran, and Heiji would have told him to snap out of it and stop worrying if both of them didn't know that his fears were very valid…

And now validated. Kazuha wanted to see Ran, but he wanted to see how Kudo was doing. He knew that if Ran had said that her feelings were changing, it was probably true, but Kudo…

Heiji knew that, if it would keep Mori Ran safe and happy, Kudo Shinichi would lie through his teeth, no matter what it meant for himself.

* * *

* * *

_Two notes of hyper-happy. One, KAITOU KID ANIME!!! Yes, you read that right. Apparently in late April there will be a Magic Kaitou anime episode aired. I wish I could give you the link but ffnet doesn't allow linkage and it's too long to do all that (dot) and space business, so just Google it. It'll be on Animax. I know no more than that :'( But I can't wait for the subbers to get all over that :) Also, there's a new longer trailer for M14. Unfortunately I can't talk about it without descending into happy fangirl wibble, but look it up on YouTube… unless they're using a dream sequence to mess with us again, Ran might actually be mistaking Kid for Shinichi… which will make that KaiRan kiss real…? *wibbles happily*_

_Also, I have an LJ now! Look up "Kaishinftw". I'm mainly posting stuff I've written that I haven't cleaned up enough to put on here, as well as some stuff I may never put on here, but everything on FFnet from this chapter on will be posted there, possibly ahead of time._

_Also, tragedy has struck. Luckily I typed up pretty much all of this over the weekend, but on Monday an evil classmate penned my left hand and judging by the fact that, hours later, it hurts too much to type with, e might have done some actual damage. Assemble a lynch mob. Hopefully the pain will abate soon, but as it's forcing me to type one-handed it's extremely difficult to type new chapters or review replies, so if there're no review replies next week, that's why. Also, if the pain has lasted that long, there will be no further chapters because I will have been arrested for murdering my classmate._

_Filthy mind, __**nataeiy1**__ XDXDXD SHOTACON! *Calls Ao-kun to investigate*_

_Kaito and Shinichi are gonna have to trust each other to make this work, __**Cat**__… and I'm sure Minami and Aoko will work things out, in time. I kinda like Ginzo, I'm sure there's more to him than a ranting anger-management fail… XDXD_

_Glad you like, __**phantom-akiko**__ ;)_

_Hajimemashite, __**tanteigirl69**__, and glad you're enjoying it! :)_

_It'll be fun when the boys realize the attraction, __**Marie Ravenclaw **__XDXD Sorta reminds me of that bit in "Tropic Thunder"… "I know who I am! I'm a dude pretending to be a dude disguised as another dude!" XDXDXD_

_It would probably give poor Shinichi's body a hell of an ache in the morning, __**kaitoushinichi**__ XDXD thanks :) after all, normal life does go on around all of this weirdness… and which thread? There was no link._

_They are indeed, __**simply anonymous**__ ;)_

_Out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh, __**bloddy raptor**__? XD_

_The whole situation's risky, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__, but unfortunately it's so bizarre that they have nobody to turn to, so what else can they do?_

_It's not quite abuse, __**AmaryMei**__, since it IS his own voice, just squeakier XD Everybody seems to be turning into a perv, especially over that shower moment :3 Yes, Nakamori seems to be popular there XD No heist planned, since Shinichi's luck is taking precedent over Kaito's… and you know what THAT means…_

_Uncanny coincidence is what these boys are all about, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__ XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	21. 20:Will

_**Chapter Twenty**_

_**Will**_

Kaito stretched- _still_ not as much as he'd like to- as the final bell rang. Classes had been easy, even though Teitan ran a slightly more advanced curriculum than Ekoda High. He'd breezed through class, though, mainly listening to Shinichi mutter under his breath as he went through the problems himself. He hadn't bothered to tell the detective to shut up, knowing that unlike Kaito, he hadn't been to high school since tenth grade and was probably feeling not a bit behind his classmates.

"Kudo-kun? Can I, ummm… can I talk to you?"

It took Kaito, who had been zoning out slightly, a moment to realize that by "Kudo-kun" Hondo meant him. He smiled in a friendly fashion at the uncertain student as he turned to face him. Shinichi had a calculating look on his face as he drifted into Kaito's line of sight as he looked over Hondo, but he nodded.

"We need to tell him something," he said softly. Kaito nodded, which Hondo took as a confirmation aimed at him. He paused, so Kaito strode past him, nodding at him to follow, deciding to make for the roof. It was the end of the day, students were all going home, and Ran had karate practice so he'd be walking home alone anyway- aside from his doppelganger's spirit. He hadn't been back to the Mori Detective Agency, so he hadn't seen the ghosts of his father or any of the others since they vanished, and wasn't sure if he could summon them in Shinichi's body- and if Shinichi could, he didn't seem inclined to.

Automatically, he made for the roof, something which made Shinichi sigh pronouncedly. Hondo didn't seem to notice- well, after all, he didn't know Kudo Shinichi _that_ well. As he'd suspected, it was completely empty, offering only a view of the sunset over Tokyo (the sun set early this time of year) and of students swarming out of the gates. Kaito leaned on the railing, looking down, wondering what kind of attitude he should be taking to this conversation. Shinichi, remaining in his line of sight and floating four stories above the homebound students, looked irritated and not a little jealous, but Kaito felt that these were not emotions that he'd want to show to Hondo.

"How…?" was the first thing Hondo tentatively said. Kaito didn't look back at him, still unsure of how he should feel about this guy- the one he'd heard comforting Mori Ran when Kudo Shinichi couldn't. "I thought you were stuck…"

"Something… changed," Shinichi said carefully, nodding at Hondo, and Kaito repeated after him. "Suffice it to say that I'm back, but I may not stay. Things are difficult just now, not just with Ran… and I don't want to make things harder on her. We sorted things out, but…"

"But if you're around her too much, she might notice that you still have feelings for her?" Hondo said shrewdly. Kaito glanced back at that, guessing that it probably wouldn't be amiss to look completely shocked there. Then he relaxed a little.

"She'd feel guilty, and I don't want that," he said. "She deserves to be happy, and I hurt her too much for that… and as long as this lasts, I'd probably only keep on hurting her. I don't want that for her."

"You're a really good guy," Hondo said softly. Kaito smiled wryly.

"No, that's you," he corrected quietly. "You were there for her when I wasn't. You looked after her. Thank you."

Hondo flushed violently. "I-I…"

"I can't say I'm not jealous," Kaito continued, walking over to the red-faced boy. "You managed to do for her what I always wanted to. You'd just better keep doing it, all right? If you ever hurt her like I did…" he put a hand on Hondo's shoulder for a moment as he passed him. "I'll kick you into the next century."

He left quickly, not looking up at Shinichi. Part of him was impressed at how cool Shinichi was able to be towards the guy that he was essentially handing the woman he loved over to. Part of him wondered if he could manage that, if he had to face whoever would take his place in Aoko's life.

Still, he couldn't help feeling the same as Shinichi about it. Aoko's happiness was too important to him. So long as she found happiness again…

* * *

"I think we need to check out you old files and compare them with my notes," Shinichi said abruptly. "You said you knew of a number of building affiliated with Them, right? That's where we need to strike. The main problem, I guess, is getting at them, although I suppose you're more than capable of breaking into your own house?"

"Just watch me," Kaito replied, recognizing Shinichi's talk of plans for what it was. They had decided to take a route along the banks of the Teimuzu back to the Kudo mansion, counting on it being empty enough that nobody would notice Kaito talking to himself- Shinichi had been able to talk to him without opening his physical mouth, but Kaito didn't have a handle on how that worked. It might have been because his soul showed up separately from his body. "The main problem for me, I guess, is being so near Kaasan… if I see her, if I see her grieving…" he trailed off slightly. He could already feel the urge to go to his mother, to speak to her now that he could, to comfort her however he could. How strong would it be, back in his own house?

"That's why we'll do it your way, late at night," Shinichi mused. "Unless she's not sleeping at night, grieving can alter people's schedules… can you remember what she was like when your Tousan died?"

"Not really," Kaito admitted with a sigh. "I was just a kid, I was so wrapped up in my own grief and confusion… I spent a lot of time in my room, just messing around with some of his old magic tools, cards and paper flowers and doves… All I remember of her in that time is that she was always wearing black and sad and just brought my meals up to me… Not that I always ate them… I don't know when or if she was eating or sleeping herself…" Shinichi nodded slightly. He knew how uninvolved Kaito's mother was with his life, both legal and illegal, as if Kuroba Toichi's death had put an emotional distance between them as solid as the physical distance between himself and his parents. Because of his night job and his fear of loss, Kaito kept everyone at a distance, even those he should have held close…

Shinichi knew that feeling all too well.

To distract both of them from these dark thoughts, he summoned Akai and Toichi, who appeared next to him an instant later. Kaito glanced up at them in surprise.

"Kaito, how are you doing?" Toichi instantly said, evidently concerned. Shinichi felt a little guilty for not letting him be around more, but frankly the whole situation was so embarrassing and confusing that he'd wanted to keep it down to himself and Kaito a bit. The grin on Kaito's face when he saw his father did not assuage that guilty feeling.

"Getting the hang of the body," he said airily. "I know it looks the same, but you would not _believe _how inflexible this guy is- and such stiff vocal chords!"

"Forgive me for not devoting my life to Olympian gymnastics and deception," Shinichi said, eyerolling. Akai just watched them wordlessly. He didn't tend to waste words, so he was evidently waiting for them to dispense with the idiocy and get down to business.

"Holmes used disguises, too," Kaito pointed out with an evil grin. "Surely a tantei-otaku such as yourself would know that?"

"I'm a fan of Holmes, but I don't want to be his clone or anything," Shinichi grumbled. Kaito laughed.

"That makes you significantly less sad than Hakuba," he chuckled. "Anyway, I guess we should try it tonight… Tousan, you said you were stalking Kaasan and I after your death…"

"Stalking is such a negative term," Toichi commented. "Just go with watching. At all times," he added in exaggeratedly ominous tones. "Try what?"

"I need to break into our house to get at some of our Syndicate files," Kaito supplied. "I can't remember everything in them, and Shinichi needs some locations… how are you going to explain how you got this information?"

"If I tell certain police contacts not to ask, they won't," Shinichi said shortly, "and claiming to be "Conan's" mystery source ought to get us in with the FBI. For now, getting the info is a priority."

"Hmmm… I'd watch your timing," Toichi said carefully. "Minami… she didn't sleep well grieving for me and I doubt she'd doing better grieving for you. I'm sure she'll stay within a close orbit of the tea leaves, though, so if you're quiet you might be able to get in and out without seeing her…"

"We probably shouldn't remove the files," Shinichi mused. "If anyone found the room, and noticed…"

"You couldn't hand them over anyway, they've got notes that are very distinctly mine all over them," Kaito snorted. "I'll just take a flash camera, take some pictures of what we need and rewrite it later without Kid notes."

"I'm sure Jodie especially will take anything that would help bring them down," Akai said dryly. "Especially if you can get her near Vermouth…"

"We'll see what we can do, eh?" Kaito commented, clamming up as they moved back into the streets. Shinichi resumed discussing tactics for striking Syndicate bases with Akai, but Kaito just let his mind wander while he made his way back to the Kudo mansion…

"Kudo?!"

Shinichi glanced over sharply at the source of the voice, a look of mingled exasperation and horror on his face. "Oh, no… Hattori!"

Kaito worked at _not_ looking freaked as the dark-skinned tantei wandered over to them, waving. "Hey, what's up?" he greeted as he got near. "What th' hell happened? How come yer still full-size? Did ya get the real cure?"

"Um… yeah, guess I did," Kaito said, the presence of a skilled detective (Shinichi didn't really count in his current state, and anyway Kaito knew him too well for him to be just a detective) making him nervous. "Though… well, I'm not sure what happened. It's all weird."

"Yer tellin' me," Hattori snorted. "Speakin' a' weird- what's this I hear 'bout you an' Mori decidin' ta stay in the Friend Zone?"

"What's he doing here?" Shinichi said, nonplussed. Then he smacked himself on the spectral forehead. "Girl communication network. He and Kazuha are going out now, of course she'd tell him… just say it's for the best, he'd see through me anyway but maybe since it's you we'll have better luck."

"It's for the best," Kaito said, beginning to walk again as Hattori fell into step with him. "Is Kazuha-san with you?"

"Yeah, she's havin' girl talk with Mori," Heiji sighed. "I was surprised when she said Conan'd gone back ta America and wonderin' about goin' ta Hakase's ta find out what's goin' on… Then I run inta you here! Weird or what? So come on," he said, abruptly changing subject. "Don' bullshit me, I know how in love you an' Mori were, ya didn't have ta be a detective ta see it… what th' hell happened?"

"What the hell indeed…" Shinichi sighed. Heiji tipped his head slightly, as if listening to something on the edge of hearing, and then there was a little flicker in the detective's emerald eyes as he mentally shook himself. Shinichi wondered how the fellow detective could almost hear the dead- maybe it was his lifelong proximity to them, maybe it was simply a far weaker strain of whatever Shinichi had that allowed him to contact and control them. He certainly seemed to run into bodies as much as he did…

"We…" Kaito began, wondering how to continue, but was saved having to when a scream split the air.

"Tarumi!" A woman was shrieking. "Oh Kami, somebody call an ambulance!"

Both detectives' heads whipped around at the screaming, Kaito following a split second later, Akai heading for the source, and all but Hattori spotted the oddly-dressed woman who dropped out of the sky and into the crowd forming around a small café.

Hattori sprinted over, Kaito close on his heels, and they pushed through the crowd to where a man had collapsed out of a booth, face and neck swollen and an unhealthy purple colour as a Ganguro girl knelt next to him, sobbing and calling to him. Shinichi floated up a little to scan his eyes over the scene; sandwich with a couple of bites out of it sitting on his plate, phone on the table, half-drunk soft drink, flashy and upset girlfriend, Shinigami standing over his shoulder. A moment later, his soul sat out of his body.

"Plehhh!" the ghost gasped, as if trying to spit out something nasty. "What was _in_ that sandwich…?"

"Whatever it was killed you," Shinichi said, floating in front of him. He glanced up at the Shinigami.

"I'll be back for him," the blue-haired woman sighed, rolling her eyes and vanishing. Shinichi returned to Kaito, the confused ghost in tow.

"This is murder," he muttered. "She would have been able to take his soul away if it wasn't. And given that a Shinigami was ready to come for him _before_ his death, then this was planned beforehand. This isn't just murder… it's premeditated."

Kaito nodded slightly, paling, as Hattori declared the man dead and asked him to call the police.

"Showtime, Kaito," Toichi said as his son speed-dialled the police. "Kudo-kun…"

"You're about to solved a murder, Kaito," Shinichi said, unable to keep an excited smirk off of his face. "Just follow my lead."

* * *

* * *

_Hand's all good again, I just needed to rest it a while, but that's why this chapter's nearly late… still, thank heavens. I was going crazy XD I've written a billion things in notebooks that I need to type up now…_

_Well, they haven't found Pandora yet, have they, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__? Kaito always breaks the universe XD Glad you like!_

_Ai WANTS to find out why she saw flying objects, __**myvampirepuppy**__, but whether or not she will…_

_Calm the mob, __**StargateNerd, **__the hand has healed! Your fangirl squeal can't break the sound barrier, I already shattered it! XDXD I think if you google it you can find the dates and times… get on that, subbers! I hope your laptop's okay!_

_That sounds like the making of a cracky oneshot, __**nataeiy1**__ *plunnies go rabid* nooooooooo… XD You're welcome ;) Heiji doesn't need to worry… I'm making him a touch more mature and sensitive as a result of the relationship, so I'm sure he isn't capable of screwing up to this degree anymore. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully XDXDXD_

_Heiji wouldn't be the detective that he is if he doesn't notice _something_, __**Phantom-Akiko**__… Yep, looks like a Kid overload coming up, and I can't WAIT! :)_

_I'll see you there, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__! ;) and no need, the hand's better so I haven't murdered my classmate… just pulled an extraordinarily evil prank on him… he wasn't present for an exam, but he texted to ask what the question were like when it was over. So I called him back… then handed the phone to my teacher XDXDXD Revenge is sweet :) It would be really suspicious of Shinichi was just mooning about his house, so y'know…_

_It feels much better, thanks, __**teldra**__ :) and yeah, they have NO idea… XDXDXD_

_I'm certain that Eisuke's more than he appears, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__, too bad he doesn't appear more… and what classmate? The desk beside me has been mysteriously empty for several days… XDXD_

_Yep, __**kaitoushinichi**__, I saw it… and squealed so much that bats flew into my window… XDXD Yes, Heiji and Kazuha are together by this point, and yes, Eisuke noticed… Shinichi getting his body back? Who knows? (Well, me XD)_

_Do you really think anything less than eternal damnation could ever make Kaito behave, __**bloddy raptor**__? Although fish may do that. Kaito's lucky that Shinichi doesn't know about this… yet… XDXD_

_I'll bet good money that they're messing with us, __**tanteigirl69**__, and it'll turn out to be a dream sequence/Shinichi's paranoid imaginings… Kaito cares about Shinichi more than he knows XDXDXD_

_Cliffhangers FTW, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ XDXD_

_I think they've a lot to learn from each other, __**AmaryMei**__… and they've both got a lot of shit to go through right now, but at least they each have a close friend at hand XD Heiji even noticed that Shinichi was Conan, no way he won't notice something up here… don't worry, I got the classmate back :D (see Marie Ravenclaw's reply XD)_

_Glad you like 'em all, __**Cat**__, and I intend to exploit Kazuha and Heiji's presence to the full… XDXD_

_He doesn't need to pretend for Eisuke at least, __**Simply Anonymous**__, but Heiji is another matter… Kaito is a good actor, and so's Shinichi, so I wonder…?_

_Don't worry, __**NekoEddo**__, I like to hear people's wonderings, if only to crush them/tease them with ambiguous replies XDXD Remember that, for the most part, I like happy endings, but sometimes I give myself over to angst…_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	22. 21:Murder

_**Chapter Twenty-One**_

_**Murder**_

Heiji really, really should not have been surprised that approximately two minutes after running into Kudo Shinichi, somebody would drop dead in the immediate vicinity. However, Kudo was acting oddly.

He was _slow_, for one thing. His reactions, at least. Normally, once a scream had rung out, within ten seconds he'd have called the police and an ambulance if necessary, swept the scene and detained all suspects, but instead he'd followed Heiji into the café and had to be told to call the cops. He was searching the scene and had, from the hysterical girlfriend, deduced that the cause of death was the peanut butter that had been put into his sandwich, somehow applied on the underside of a lettuce leaf as if to hide it, causing a fatally strong allergic reaction, but there was still something a little stilted about his actions, as if he was unused to this. Which Heiji knew full well was complete and utter rubbish.

It might just have been the inexplicable breakup with Mori, but Heiji had seen Kudo work when he was worried about Mori and he tended to _throw_ himself into it, as a distraction, rather than let it slow him down. The breakup was bigger than anything that had happened between them before, sure, one of his fears made real- but wouldn't that just cause him to throw himself all the more into the case, into something he could control and fix?

They had a case to solve, but Heiji resolved to keep one eye on Kudo. Something was screwy here- more than usual. Why had he stayed full-size? Why'd he break up with Mori? And what was that odd noise that kept hovering on the edge of hearing? Maybe he was just imagining it.

"_Kudo_…" he thought, watching the Heisei Holmes question a couple of waitresses, "_What're you still hiding_?"

* * *

"_She_ did it!" the victim's girlfriend, one very angry woman by the name of Uchida Akiko, snarled as she pointed at a waitress with long, dark hair. "You killed him, didn't you, you jealous bitch?"

"What?" The woman, whose nametage identified her as a Miss Kojou Miyuki, gasped, looking hurt but also a little angry. "Wasn't it just an accident? I mean, that sandwich comes with peanut butter, it was just his allergy…"

"You took our order!" Akiko insisted angrily, "and _you_ knew full well about his allergy! You could have told to cook not to put on peanut butter but you _didn't_, did you?"

"I did!" Miyuki replied angrily, starting to sound tearful. "I mean- that sandwich doesn't even come with peanut butter! I knew how strong his allergy was, but, I mean…"

"Stop being a hysterical idiot," another waitress, with short bleached hair and a long fringe, snapped angrily. Her nametag said "Hamasaki Ayumi". "It was just an honest mistake, okay? Maybe the cook didn't hear her or forgot or something."

"I have been kind of forgetful lately," the cook, a large, sad-looking woman in her fifties said sadly. Her name was Saionji Koharu. "I've been misplacing things and mixing up orders all over the place… I should quit. If… if my forgetfulness has _killed_ a man…" she began to cry, and Miyuki, glaring angrily at Akiko, put a comforting arm around the older woman.

While Shinichi had been scanning the area with Akai and directing Kaito to do things such as examine the sandwich, Kaito had been watching the women out of the corner of his eye. There was a very definite hostility between Akiko and the waitresses. Tarumi was looking irritated with all three of them. Unfortunately, he'd said that his server was a young man who'd gone off-shift five minutes after delivering the sandwich, and thus had no idea who'd applied the peanut butter. The man had a tendency to get in the way of the investigations, so Toichi had thankfully taken it upon himself to keep the man distracted. Both Shinichi and Kaito were thankful for this, especially given that Toichi could redon his Poker Face and hide his irritation with the man- Shinichi had murmured that, while he did not agree with murder and felt sorry for the victims, nevertheless there was generally a _reason_ that someone had been driven to kill them.

"Gotta agree that it's kinda screwy," Hattori said with a frown, examining the peanut butter. "It _could've_ been a mixup, but even if it was, who puts peanut butter in a coupla single, well-hidden dollps between lettuce? Don't people normally spread peanut butter straight onta the bread?"

"I had a look at a couple of other people's sandwiches," Kaito said, following Shinichi's lead, "and their toppings were spread, not dolloped. It wasn't the cook that put this stuff on."

"Thought not." Hattori glanced over at where ice was practically forming around the women. Takagi and Sato had turned up to the case, and greeted Kaito and Hattori in a surprised but pleased manner, clearly seeing the prospect of a case that wasn't going cold. Takagi was now drawing a chalk line around the body while Sato made notes from witnesses. "Those four are th' most suspicious. Wanna check 'em out?"

"We'd better," Kaito agreed, his responses only slowed by a fraction in order to parrot Shinichi's prompts. Normally he'd dislike being directed like a puppet, but this was very clearly not his arena and he knew it. Death was a rare feature on his heists, and every time it had been Conan- Shinichi- who had solved the case, while Kaito looked on and sometimes chipped in. He hated death. There were no tricks to it, nothing he could change or control. Something was taken that could never be returned. He hated death, and he couldn't deal with it well, which was why in this case he was more than happy to simply let Shinichi take the reins, with his father assisting, his own abhorrence of murder making him happy to assist. Akai was floating around, probably doing his own thing although he made occasional comments to Shinichi. Currently, for some reason, he was closely watching a group that Kaito and Hattori had deemed in all likelihood innocent, having no discernible connection to the victim nor even having been near him at the time, a group comprised almost entirely of other patrons of the café and a couple of gawkers who'd gotten sucked into questioning.

"'scuse me, Kojou-han," Hattori said, taking the lead as Kaito hesitated, giving him a quick, odd glance as he did so, "Sounds like ya knew th' victim, Mikano Tarumi-han, as more'n just a customer."

"He…" the girl reddened slightly, hugging Koharu a little tighter. "He was my boyfriend. We broke up a month ago…"

"After she caught him tomcatting around with _that_," Ayumi sneered, tossing her head to indicate Akiko, who practically _snarled_ at her, looking a little frightening with the way her tears caused her thick makeup to run in streaks resembling warpaint. Tarumi looked even more irritated.

"If she wasn't so _frigid_, I wouldn't have had to look _elsewhere_," he murmured irritably.

"If you're not going to be useful, please shut up," Shinichi sighed. Tarumi clammed up, but still looked annoyed, and Toichi took his cue to drag the man off again.

"Face it, we had a connection you could _never_ have had with him," she spat at Miyuki. "That's why you're so clingy with your yuri-whore pal, and why you got so jealous that you _killed_ him!"

"Uchida-san, _please_ calm down," Kaito said smoothly, adapting his own ladykilling instincts to Shinichi's slightly more prim style as Ayumi flared up. "Hysterical accusations do not become us, and are of no use in any case." He held up his hands, separating the sneering Ganguro from the angry waitress, their roles reversed as fury rose on Ayumi's face. Miyuki was very visibly distressed by the conflict.

"She's my _best friend_," she defended quietly. "I'm sorry, I know you're not familiar with the concept. After all, the only way you can get anyone to like you is by sleeping with them, isn't it?" Akiko shrieked angrily, leaping forwards with long fake fingernails extended like claws, causing Sato to grab her around the wait and yank her back.

"Uchida-san, don't make me charge you with assault," she reprimanded sternly. "And _none_ of you are helping the investigation. This is probably just an accident, anyway."

"Leave poor Miyu-chan alone," Koharu sobbed. "It's my fault, isn't it? I shouldn't have kept cooking, with my memory the way it is, this was sure to happen sooner or later…"

"Actually, Saionji-san, it may not be your fault," Kaito said quietly, following Shinichi's cue. "I don't believe that the peanut butter on that sandwich was applied by you." Hattori nodded in agreement, proffering another peanut-butter sandwich that another customer hadn't touched, the corpse putting them _slightly_ off their food. He peeled off the bread, showing the evenly spread topping.

"You spread the toppin's," Heiji said, lifting the bread off of Tarumi's sandwich, "But Mikano-han's sandwich is kinda odd. There's just a coupla dollops, an' they're on th' lettuce, not th' bread. Don't seem like your style, judgin' by the rest of the sandwiches…"

"Well, no," Koharu said, peering at the sandwiches. "Can't say I'd do that. Even forgetful, spreading the butter is simply what you _do_, isn't it?"

"So it's not your fault, Koharu-san!" Miyuki said happily. "Somebody _else_…" she trailed off, her smile fading. "…Murdered… Tarumi…"

"This is a murder case?" Takagi said, glancing down at the swollen body. "Subtle. You'd have to know about his food allergy, and how powerful it was. That suggests someone here who knew him personally."

"From the looks of it, that's just Uchida-san and Kojou-san," Sato said, glancing over at the girls in question.

"I bet _she_ knew too," Akiko snorted, jerking her thumb rudely at Ayumi. Hattori, Kaito and Shinichi all glanced at the second waitress in unison, who flushed angrily but did nod slowly.

"Miyu-chan told me," she admitted. "We're best friends, after all. She tells me everything… and also they were eating over at mine once and he asked me to make nothing with nuts. Not that it matters, because I'm a bit allergic too, just not that bad…"

"It was one of the first things he always told people, given the strength of his allergy," Miyuki sniffed.

"Which meant that if the peanut butter was deliberately planted, hoping his allergy would kill him," Kaito mused aloud, "it was most likely one of you three."

"Why _me_?" Akiko shrieked. "Why would _I_ kill him?"

"Maybe you caught him sleeping around too," Ayumi said slyly. "After all, if he cheated on one girl he'd cheat on the next…"

"We did ask ya ta lay off th' hysterical accusations," Hattori sighed, attempting to stave off the argument that Akiko seemed all too happy to launch into, though admittedly it wasn't that unreasonable an accusation. Shinichi murmured quietly to Kaito that Kazuha's influence seemed to make him better at dealing with people without losing his temper- he hadn't called anybody an ahou yet. "Well, in any case, do ya have a jar of this kinda peanut butter in the kitchen? It was prob'ly used…"

"Yes, on the condiments shelf, near the door," Koharu said, sniffling.

"We'll dust it for fingerprints," Takagi said, heading through to the kitchen. Koharu sighed heavily.

"The fingerprints of myself and the girls will be on them, though," she said. "If we're busy they sometimes help, in between taking things to and from the tables. Ayumi-chan never opens it, of course, but she's passed it to me a few times. The only one who shouldn't be on it is Uchida-san…"

A dusting confirmed that Uchida Akiko's fingerprints were not on it, and that Koharu, Ayumi and Miyuki's were, as well as several other sets that were likely the other cooks and waiters or waitresses who were on shift other days.

"It doesn't rule Uchida-san out, though," Shinichi mused, which Kaito parroted. "After all, she might have brought her own jar or a small container with the peanut butter in it, and if anybody had worn gloves…"

"We need ta search yer belongin's," Hattori said to the girls, "an' somebody prob'ly oughta check all th' bins in here ta make sure nothin' was thrown away…"

"Hey, Kaito," Shinichi said abruptly, "Can we have a look at that peanut butter again?" Kaito picked up the top slice of the bread and pried up the lettuce, which had a small dollop in the top centre and some spread on the underside, with a bite taken out of the latter. He saw Shinichi and Akai exchange a look, and nod.

"They keep doing that," Toichi commented as the two floated over to a group of gawkers for a second. "It's very annoying." Kaito stared at the sandwich for a long moment, trying to figure out what was so interesting, then put it back.

"Somethin' up, Kudo?" Hattori said inquisitively. Kaito shook his head slightly.

"We need evidence," he said softly. "We need to find something that could inextricably link one of them to the murder…"

"I know," Hattori agreed quietly. "The girlfriend coulda done it when th' sandwich was delivered, an' either a' the waitresses coulda messed with it in th' kitchen, though Hamasaki-san might not 'cause she's allergic too…"

"And Uchida-san said that neither Hamasaki-san nor Kojou-san was their server," Kaito mused aloud. He was trying to think of something, _anything_, but his brain just wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. Part of him was still looking for ways to elude the police, to avoid the detectives, to _hide_ the evidence, not unveil it. "_Come on, Shinichi_," he prayed. "_Think of something, notice something… please…_"

Then he remembered something. "_Wait… We sort of ruled her out, but…_"

He glanced up at his father, then looked quickly at his suspect, hoping that he could somehow convey a message through his eyes. Toichi looked at the girl for a long moment, and then his eyes widened as he realized.

"Her hand…" he said. "I see." He tapped Shinichi on the shoulder, indicating the girl. Shinichi's grin indicated that he had noticed it, too.

"We'd better confer with Hattori," Shinichi said. "I'll give you the details, I'm sure you can lay it out. Let's get this done quickly. Akai…"

"I'll keep an eye on her," Akai confirmed.

* * *

* * *

_I'm a bit behind in writing chapters for this because the plunnies jumped on something else, so after this there'll be a short hiatus from this fic. Not that long- starting next Tuesday I'll be posting a seven-chapter fic for a week, one chapter a day. Week after next I'll pick this back up. Just to give me time to get a few more chapters together. (I'm having real problems writing murder mysteries at the moment, but I really needed to have Kaito solve one :P ) Answers on a postcard! XD_

_Never watched Shaman King, __**reighost**__, so I don't know. I really sort of made up his powers as I went along with a few random references to "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" thrown in for funsies XD_

_Quite a bit, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ XD Heiji's certainly noticed that something's up, but ghosts aren't the kind of thing he'd think of unless it was shoved in his face :P_

_I know what you mean, __**nataeiy1**__ XD Much as I'm sure he'd love for people to stop murdering one another, I'm sure he'd just wilt without murders to solve… we need to load him down with all of the _Professor Layton_ games, the _Another Code_ series… hell, even throw in _Phoenix Wright_. Anything with a mystery for him to solve XD_

_Here ya go, __**Teldra**__… there'll definitely be more, I'm just having trouble linking a few crucial scenes :P_

_Hope the popcorn doesn't go cold waiting for the conclusion to this case, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ XD_

_I'd love to see them try it too, __**bloddy raptor, **__but just now they're not even going to try it…_

_It's DC, __**kaitoushinichi**__. SOMEBODY has to drop dead XD Computers can be evil… your school year's over already? LUUUUCKKYYYY! I still have a month and a bit left, and then I have to come back in a couple of days for exams… then I'm gone from high school FOREVER… creepy… but awesome :)_

_I won't do that to Kaito, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__… yet… *insert evil authoress laugh here* Believe me, I'm glad it's better too… It was KILLING me not to be able to write! DX Glad you like it! ;)_

_Can't wait for it to be released, at any rate, __**tanteigirl69**__ :) Dou Itashimashite!_

_We are evil indeed, __**AmaryMei**__ *muahahahahahahaha* Glad to fulfil your wishes… in a couple of weeks XD I find all that kind of news on the DCTP forums, so if you hang out there you'll find out the lovelies almost as soon as they're announced. It's a global community so there's always a fangirl watching XD_

_Glad you love it, __**Cat**__! Deduction time!_

_Hattori doesn't just have the case to worry about, __**HaibaraDaiFan**__. But will he figure it out…?_

_Just like Kaito's good luck, __**Phantom-Akiko**__, Shinichi's shinigami curse transcends all else XD I'm sure Kaito will do fine… to the eyes of most…_

_Kaito's been present at a few other murder cases, __**simply anonymous**__, but he's never solved one before…_

_Breaking the universe is Kaito's greatest skill, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ XD Glad you like it, and Akako won't be able to ignore this forever, given how interested in the state of Kaito's soul she is…_

_Glad you like it, __**Madame of all Manga**__! Yes, chocolate wins XD Kaito always messes up reality… glad you like the trailer too! I found the details of the Magic Kaito anime on the DCTP forums, but if you google it I'm sure a few articles will show up. Look forward to hearing more from you ;)_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	23. 22:Justice

_**Chapter Twenty-Two**_

_**Justice**_

It was a curious thing. He was a very good actor, she knew well, and playing this role in particular ought to be easy. But there were subtleties, things almost too small to notice. It was the body, perhaps. Death, despite his current situation, was not something he was well acquainted with. It clearly made him uncomfortable.

She was uncomfortable, too. She couldn't slip away yet. And she could tell, from the glare trained on her, that she had been spotted.

* * *

According to the shopping district word-of-mouth news, there had been a murder in a café two streets over. Well, Ai thought ruefully, that would explain why Kudo hadn't come home yet. Hattori was probably there too. On her way out to buy dinner goods, she'd spotted his girlfriend out with Ran, so presumably the Detective of the West had sought out his eastern counterpart. She had been hoping to confront Kudo again with the other detective present, since once she brought up flying objects and his prolonged return to normal, surely Hattori would be just as curious as she- and probably more than willing to help her pry from Kudo the answers that he wouldn't give her.

Kudo had always hidden things from her, always been able to when he wanted to. But Hattori had always been able to get him to relinquish his secrets. He'd pried the secret of the apoptoxin from him, so maybe he could get _this_ from him.

Kudo had always had secrets, Ai was well aware of this from the first moment she'd met him. And at the first moment she'd met him, she hadn't been surprised. After all, he'd had no reason to trust her at all, no reason to tell her anything. But as time had gone by, she'd hoped that their unique situation, that what had been forming between them- she knew better than to hope that it was more than friendship to him, if that- would reveal more. But now, with the incomprehensible events of the past few days, things and actions that even Agasa-Hakase- perhaps the only person that Kudo had never hidden secrets from- couldn't explain, she had to wonder just how many secrets Kudo kept, and if there was anyone that he'd ever reveal them to- anyone he would ever truly be honest with.

* * *

"Thank you," Kaito said politely as the second forensic report he had asked for came back, with just the answers Shinichi had been hoping for. The prints were right, and if he could just examine her hand a little closer…

"Got what we're lookin' for?" Hattori asked, looking at the triumphant smirk on Kaito's face that, luckily, precisely mirrored Shinichi's.

"Yes," Kaito confirmed. "If we're right…"

"Only one way ta find out," Hattori said, shrugging and glancing at the murderess. "Can't quite figger the motive…"

"I can hazard a guess," Kaito said, remembering a comment from one of the other women. "It'll all come out once we catch her out, after all."

"True. So how're we gonna…?" Hattori asked, Shinichi wearing a contemplative expression and clearly wondering the same thing himself. Kaito, however, knew _exactly_ how to handle women in a way that the slightly awkward detectives didn't. He knew he wouldn't be allowed to pop a rose out of his sleeve, but…

"Let me handle it from here," he whispered under his breath as he walked away from Hattori.

* * *

"Does he know what he's doing?" Shinichi asked Toichi as the murdered Tarumi looked on curiously. "I mean, we've confirmed who and how and so on, but he's not used to detective work…"

"He's doing a fine job of acting as you," Toichi said soothingly, "and if that boy can't get any woman to dance to his tune, he's no son of mine." He chuckled a little. Shinichi raised an eyebrow, but he _had_ seen how Kaito acted around women on heists- and how they fell head over heels for it.

"Just so long as he's subtle about it," he grumbled. "I don't want people asking if I've joined a Host Club…" Still, he was sure he could trust Kaito to handle things. He kept his eyes on the _other_ woman, but Akai was watching her too, so he turned back to Kaito's "performance".

"Hamasaki-san," Kaito asked, causing the woman to jump nervously. "Is something wrong with your hand?"

"Something wrong?" she squeaked, then calmed herself, taking her voice back to normal. Her right hand moved away from her left, which she had been clutching slightly. "No, nothing…"

"Really," Kaito said, then shot his hand out to grab hers. "Dear me, that's a nasty rash. Looks almost like you came into contact with something that you were allergic to."

"Didn't she say she was allergic ta nuts too?" Hattori added, seeing where he was going. "Where ya handlin' somethin' with nuts? I thought ya weren't supposed ta handle that stuff here…"

"Ah…" Ayumi said, brain almost audibly whirring as she tried to think of a way out. Miyuki gasped.

"Ayu-chan, you _are_ reacting!" she said, examining her friend's hand. "But I can't think when you were handling anything with nuts… I mean, I took on an extra load so you wouldn't have too…"

"If you had to take on extra work, then you were busy this afternoon, right?" Kaito pointed out. "If you were busy, I bet Saionji-san was even busier. I bet that sandwich must have sat alone for a few minutes before someone had time to deliver it."

"So?" Ayumi snapped. "What are you implying?"

"We're implyin' that the positionin' of yer fingerprints on th' peanut butter jar were kinda odd," Hattori said. "We checked. There's a set that matches up ta how ya open a jar. But I thought ya were just passin' the stuff around…"

"Koharu-san said that you never opened the jar," Kaito said softly. "So why were your fingerprints on the lid? There are smudges of peanut butter on the lid, of course. These things happen with messy condiments. So why would you touch it, and risk a reaction?"

"Ya wouldn't need ta touch th' lid unless ya were openin' the jar," Hattori pointed out.

"Maybe I just needed to pick it up by the lid to pass it to Koharu-san," Ayumi said fiercely. "Anyway, can you even prove that I touched it to-" she paused, sucking in her breath.

"Yes we can," Kaito said, picking up her left hand. "My my, what a terrible rash, and spreading from your left thumb, too. Incidentally, your left thumbprint on the lid was smudged in a smear of peanut butter…"

"Yer friend worried enough 'bout yer allergy ta take on extra work so's ya wouldn't have ta touch nuts," Hattori pointed out in tandem. "But she didn't notice th' rash b'fore… an' anyway, if ya got that b'fore today why wouldn't ya have bandaged it up so ya wouldn't make it worse?"

"I…" Ayumi muttered, mind clearly whirring to think of explanations.

"Ayu-chan… you didn't… you _couldn't_ have…" Miyuki sobbed. That seemed to crack her; Ayumi's shoulders slumped, before she laughed sharply.

"Like _fun_ I couldn't," she laughed. "That asshole had _no_ right to do that to you… You're just too _nice_, too sweet, too trusting, and he took advantage of that… I could see it from the beginning, but you trusted him, and he betrayed that…" a tear rolled down her cheek. "But I guess I'm no better than him. I've betrayed your trust too, haven't I? I'm not the woman you thought I was…"

She trailed off as Miyuki hugged her suddenly.

"Yeah you are," she sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks as well. "You're a baka… I'm not worth that… I'm really not."

"Yes you are," Ayumi whispered, hugging her friend back. "Yes you are…"

"Kaito!" Shinichi hissed sharply. Kaito looked away from the crying woman slightly, and saw the detective indicating the back door. "We need to slip out now while they're all distracted by the sob story. Come on!"

Someone else was already heading out of the back door. Kaito stepped back, slipping unnoticeably through the crowd and out of the door before anybody even noticed he was gone.

The figure was a young male, sneaking away through a back alley, Akai following him as close as he could, Shinichi already shooting off after him. Something about his movements was a little off, and it only took Kaito's experienced eye a moment to notice…

"He's someone in a mask," Toichi commented, popping up next to Kaito.

"Otou-san?" Kaito asked in surprise. "Where's Tarumi?"

"The second the murderer confessed, that shinigami woman showed up again and flew off again," Toichi said. "She also asked if I was hanging around with Kudo-kun, and when I said yes she said that we'll be seeing a lot of her and the girls…"

Before Kaito could ask more, he had to skid to an abrupt halt to avoid running into the man, who had come to a dead standstill in an alleyway. He was watching Kaito with a disturbing smirk, Akai watching him with an angry glare.

"Vermouth," Shinichi muttered. "I knew it. What is she doing here?"

"What are you doing here, Vermouth?" Kaito parroted. Inwardly, he wondered, "_Vermouth? Wait… Shinichi said she was one of Them… a master of disguise… and also…_"

"Should've known you'd spot me," the young man said in a distinctly female voice. Kaito didn't let his face show any reaction. So that was the oddness in his/her movements; a man moving like a woman. A second later, s/he pulled off the male mask, revealing a woman's face. It was beautiful like Akako, a cold, sculpted beauty, but her polar opposite; where Akako's hair was dark, this woman's was such a pale blonde it was almost white; The light-blue eyes, also pale, almost like ice, would contrast sharply against Akako's fiery red irises. The expression matched, though, an almost predatory amusement, one not given to losing its cool, one always in control. Even the seductive smile was chillingly familiar. He wondered if the two ever hung out.

"You also attempted to kill that man, didn't you?" Shinichi said. Kaito couldn't stop a blink of surprise, but repeated the line, praying that the ensuing conversation would explain. "There were two separate dollops of peanut butter on that sandwich, and the curve of the spread indicated that one was left by a left-handed person, one by a right. Ayumi-san opened that jar with her left hand. So who was the right-handed person who also attempted to murder Tarumi-san?"

"Me, right?" Vermouth said with a little smirk, flipping her wavy blonde hair out of her collar and adjusting her shirt. Kaito saw it deflate slightly to fit a woman's curves, and guess she had an inflatable body pack underneath to flatten herself out and make her shoulders broader. He was impressed. Those things had to be custom-made and were _expensive_. But then, working for Them, of course she'd have the money and resources to get top-class supplies. "Care to guess at the motive, Meitantei?"

"Takagi-keiji said he was a low-down in a computer software firm," Kaito repeated. "Therefore not likely making a lot. But that girl that he's dating is very clearly a golddigger ganguro, judging by the highly expensive jewellery, designer clothes and what have you. So where does a poor software designer's assistant get the money for a girl like her? Not through legal means, I'm sure of that, especially if he had the free time to be going out with two girls at once. It was a guess, really, based on your people's fixation with software developers and your access to big money. And also the tendency for those associated with you to meet unfortunate ends." Vermouth smiled.

"I suppose I got lucky in that girl also trying to kill him," she mused, lighting up a cigarette. "I was banking on it being attributed to the forgetful cook. I've been moving things around in her kitchen for a week to set up for that. Unfortunate accident, nobody's fault."

"Which is your people's hallmark," Kaito said, trying to ignore the rise of bile at the memory of exactly how _his_ father's murder went down. Those had been almost exactly the policeman's words.

"_Just an unfortunate mistake, an accident, nobody's fault._"

"Yes, it's even how your murder went down, ne, Toichi-sensei?" she said, suddenly blowing a kiss at where Toichi was hovering ten feet above Kaito.

Everyone froze for a second, and in that second, Vermouth was gone, with a parting call of "stealing bodies is naughty- I should know!" Akai jerked forwards, trying to take off after her, but he could only go so far before being dragged back to Kaito and Shinichi, both of whom were still frozen in shock. He snarled angrily and vanished, probably with the intent of grilling the resident Black Ops ghosts to see if _they_ had any idea what that was all about.

"Wait… what the hell?" Kaito said, staring at Shinichi, who had an identical expression of utter confusion.

"That's what _I _wanna ask!"

* * *

* * *

_Finally back to this. I got a slew of inspiration. Six hours in a car can do that to you. Also, the news on DCTP is that THE NEXT CASE IS A KID CASE. CAAAAN'T WAAAIIIIT! :D_

_Heiji isn't that observant, but he picks things up, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__… I didn't know whodunit until halfway through the last chapter, either, which is why I feel like it's a little clumsy. (I feel like that about everything lately :P )_

_Murders aren't the main focus of this fic, __**Cat**__; it's what happens after that's important. I think I know what you mean… you like the personal stuff more than the technical stuff? Heh, so do I. I occasionally skip Shinichi's longer deductions when reading the manga. Akai is pretty cool, yeah XD_

_Seems like Kaito's good luck isn't quite enough to block out Shinichi's bad luck, eh, __**bloddy raptor?**_

_You can find the Magic Kaito anime info on DCTP, __**Madame of all Manga**__. Women who say you can't change a man are quitters ;)_

_Kaito's very intelligent, after all, __**Phantom-Akiko**__, he just doesn't have a detective's mindset. He could be good at it if he set his mind to it, though :)_

_Glad you love it, __**HaibaraDaiFan **_ _ Heiji… may find out eventually. But this is definitely weirder than shrinking…_

_Lucky you, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ :) (mmm… popcorn.) Aoyama would probably come up with a much cleverer trick for this than I did… ^_^;_

_Here ya go, __**Teldra**__ XD_

_I decided to make him an asshole so I wouldn't feel bad about killing him, __**AmaryMei…**__ also, he's based on as asshole of an ex-boyfriend a friend of mine had, so I got to pretend I was killing him, too :) I actually didn't realize until I saw that comment that the name I thought I'd randomly thrown together was Hamasaki Ayumi XD Her music's so good that it's affecting me subliminally… XDXDXD_

_Yay for breaking reality, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__! XDXD I wonder when Heiji'll realize what he's hearing… _

_Here's your conclusion, __**Simply Anonymous**__!_

_A pedo, __**HollyIvy7**__? You should've seen this conversation on DCTP a while back… "Age of consent applies to when someone's old enough to know what they're getting into, right? So if Conan and Ai are mentally over the age of consent, even if not physically…" "You just want us to stop calling you a lolicon." XDXDXD KaiShin on the way!_

_Horsemen isn't mine, __**MidnightSushiNinja**__ (awesome name)… it's written by a friend of mine, White Mage Koorii. The link to the first chapter of Pestilence is on the video info now. However, if you don't like KaiShin, I have to warn you that Horsemen, like most of Koorii's stuff, is KaiShin. It's also some of the most beautifully angsty and intelligently well-written fic out there, so you're missing out if you eschew KaiShin. Let the yaoi love into your heart! XD_

_Kaito doesn't like bodies, __**llamaglamasama**__, but he likes murderers even less… he's good at procuring a confession, though :3_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	24. 23:Sympathy

_**Chapter Twenty-Three**_

_**Sympathy**_

"… but I don't know," Ran sighed, tapping at the lid on her soda. If she didn't clear up her emotions soon, she was going to get seriously overweight, because somehow pouring your heart out to someone seemed to go hand-in-hand with the cheering influence of grease and sugar. Karate only burned so many calories. Her wallet was going to suffer too, if the number of shopping bags be her feet were any indication. "He insists that he's fine, that he understands, that he doesn't feel that way, but… I've known him all our lives, Kazuha-chan. I know when he's holding back…"

"Well, th' way I see it, there's two possibilities there," Kazuha said, poking at her own food. "One: Yer imaginin' things, 'cause you ain't as over 'im as ya thought and are hopin' that _he_ still feels somethin'. Two: he still has feelin's fer _you_, but since he cares about ya he ain't gonna share 'cause he don't wanna make ya worry. Either way, th' situation still sounds a little screwy…"

"I think… it's possibility two," Ran sighed. "Kazuha-chan, it took me a _lot_ of soul-searching to make me accept that I'm not in love with him anymore. He's my best friend and I love him… but I'm not _in_ love with him, you know? But his feelings… I never really knew what they were, but I'm sure that if he thought that they'd cause me any guilt or worry at all, he'd hide them. He does that…"

"Not that it's doin' him much good, seein' as yer worryin' anyways," Kazuha pointed out. "I mean… if yer certain that ya don't feel that way for 'im, it's only gonna cause ya both more hearbreak if ya try ta force it, y'know?"

"I know," Ran said dejectedly. "I just don't think I'll stop worrying until I see him find love again. If I see him with someone else, happy… no matter who it is…" she smiled a little. "For so long I was terrified that, on whatever case he's on, he'd fall in love with someone else, and prayed against it… and now it's just the opposite."

"It's just kinda weird, I guess," Kazuha mused, staring out of the window into the shopping centre. "I mean, time was you an' me were almost at the same place. But I got my man, an' you didn't…" she blushed slightly, references to Heiji as her boyfriend still making her a little embarrassed after all this time- but also happy, as the little smile attested.

"I know, and I can't say I'm not jealous," Ran laughed. "I mean, it's not like I have a crush on Hattori-kun. But things worked out for you… then again, Hattori-kun never left you…"

"Things'll work out fer you too, Ran-chan," Kazuha said, squeezing her friend's hand. "I'm sure of it. I mean, once ya make it clear that Kudo ain't competition anymore, I'm sure you'll have guys linin' up ta ask ya out." Ran giggled. "I mean, there's seven billion people in the world, and jus' under halfa them are guys. There's no way there ain't a second chance fer ya out there. I'm sure if Kudo-kun cares about ya, as best friend or more, he wants ya ta be happy. That's what any friend wants, right?"

"Thank you, Kazuha-chan," Ran said softly. "I'm sure… you're right. I should stop worrying. After all… there must be someone out there for Shinichi too…"

"Hey, don't worry," Kazuha said reassuringly. "Even if he wants ta hide it from _you_, maybe he'll tell Heiji, guy-talk, yanno? An' Heiji'll tell _me_, I'll promise ya that. Then I'll tell you." She raised her little finger. "Pinky-promise!"

Ran laughed aloud again, intertwining her finger with Kazuha's and shaking. "Sounds good!" she agreed. "_Yeah… I'm not alone, and neither is he. We both have friends… and we're both young. Plenty of chances in the future. Thank you, Kazuha-chan…_"

* * *

"Kudo, what th' hell?" Hattori ranted. He had been doing so for some time. "This ain't just the thing with neechan, is it? Yer actin' _weird_ today. Ya never said a thing 'bout that kid findin' the cure, but here ya are, full size. You were actin' weird all through the case, an' then ya run off randomly… who th' hell were ya talkin' to? What's goin' on, Kudo?"

Kaito's eyes flicked briefly to Shinichi, looking for any indication on how to ward off the Osakan detective, whom he didn't know that well. Shinichi, however, didn't have a clue. Hattori Heiji was one of the most tenacious people he'd ever met, and the last time he'd been like this he'd uncovered the secret of Edogawa Conan.

But he _couldn't_ tell him about the ghosts. How often had Hattori laughed at Kazuha's fear of spirits? He'd never believe this, and unlike Conan, there was no evidence he could show his friend. If he lied, Hattori would find out in no time, and what kind of lie would cover this, anyway?

"Distraction," Toichi suggested, noticing Shinichi's indecision. "Does he know about Vermouth?"

"Ah, yeah," Shinichi agreed, flinching a little as slightly confused emerald eyes flickered over him at the sound. Hattori didn't see him, but he seemed to sense that there was someone there, admittedly with approximately the same level of comprehension that he had once afforded his feelings for Kazuha.

"I spotted Vermouth," Kaito said quickly. "I was trying to catch her, find out what she was doing here…" he outlined Shinichi's suspicions about Tarumi's possible Syndicate connections. "Hamasaki-san already confessed, but I think Vermouth might have been trying to bump him off too."

"Ah…" Hattori looked thoughtful, a one-track mind taking the bait. "Are ya gonna look into it?"

"Of course," Kaito shrugged, affecting nonchalance. "It's a lead, though I have few doubts that she'll be off destroying any links to Them right now…"

"I'd love ta stay an' help," Hattori sighed, as the two of them began to wander down the sidewalk, back towards the Kudo mansion. "But we got return tickets for tonight, since me an' Kazuha are together th' parents all had a fit 'bout us bein' away overnight…"

Kaito laughed a little and started bantering with Hattori, doing such an impressive impersonation of Shinichi that Hattori didn't accuse him of acting strange again- or had at least decided to drop it for now. Shinichi drifted after them, watching the banter with a little smile and only wishing he was joining in.

He wondered what would happen if he never found a way to get Kaito out. The guy was doing an impeccable job of imitating him- could he do it the rest of his life, if necessary? Once people got used to the little oddities that were Kaito showing through? It wasn't like he could ever return to his old life, not without spending about a billion years in jail. What if they had to spend the rest of his life like this, Kaito always acting and Shinichi just a following shadow…

* * *

"… so that's what happened accordin' ta Ran-chan," Kazuha said as they took off, having spent their entire time in the airport relating and dissecting Mori Ran's version of The Breakup. "She's real worried about Kudo-kun, though. Thinks he might still have some feelin's for her, y'know?"

"Yeah," Heiji mused a little. "He didn't want ta talk about it, an' th' murder got in the way of buggin' him too much 'bout it…" He frowned. "_No, I'm sure he's still go feelin's for neechan. But there's a lot else goin' on with him just now… the antidote, an' the Syndicate… great timin', neechan._"

"I just feel like he wouldn't tell her if somethin' was hurtin' him, just ta save her the worry, y'know?" Kazuha said, grasping his hand. "He's kinda like you like that, ya ahou…"

"Ahou," Heiji snorted. "I ain't goin' nowhere."

"Ya promise?" Kazuha suddenly said softly, turning in her seat to look him in the eye. "Ya _promise_… ya ain't goin' nowhere?"

"… yeah, 'course," Heiji promised, a little surprised, but recognizing her worry for what it was. "I ain't leavin' ya behind, ever." Regardless of the curious stares from across the aisle, he leaned over to kiss her, ignoring the darkened countryside flashing by underneath their window.

"_I know why yer worried, Kazuha,_" he thought a little while later, after they had blushed and broken apart at the even more curious stares and Kazuha had eventually fallen asleep, head resting on his shoulder. "_Kudo an' neechan were made fer each other, but thanks ta circumstances… it ain't even their fault._" He sighed, looking down at his girlfriend. "_She'll be worryin' bout neechan fer ages, now. Whatever I tell her'll go on ta neechan. I just wish I had somethin' ta tell her… 'cause as a lover or not, nobody's ever been able ta cheer Kudo up like Mori Ran…_"

* * *

"I _told_ you, no heists in my body," Shinichi growled as Kaito slipped down the dark road. Thankfully Hattori had gone home already, but he'd promised to be back at the weekend to catch up on developments. Kaito had spent most of the evening procuring several decks of cards and other magical apparatus to play with when he was bored, with Toichi talking him through some old practice exercises to get Shinichi's body used to them. Kaito was having a surprising amount of difficulty with acclimatizing Shinichi's body; Toichi pointed out that it was down to their differences.

"I know you look similar, but your bodies are very different," he'd said while watching Kaito attempt a few shuffles with slow fingers. "You might want to try some coin tricks before the really delicate stuff, Kaito. Anyway, Kaito's a gymnast. What muscle he has is light and _extremely_ flexible. Kudo-kun, you do football, didn't you say?"

"And a little karate," Shinichi had agreed. "Well, _dodging_ karate."

"But basically, what it amounts to is that you have considerably more muscle mass than Kaito, especially in your legs."

"_That's_ why these damn things seem so heavy," Kaito had huffed, kicking a leg vaguely. "S'pose it's a good thing, though. If I had a lot of buff I'd never be able to pull off disguising as women…"

"_Really_ no disguising in my body, _especially_," Shinichi had reminded him, "no dangerous magic, and no heists!"

He'd moved Kaito off of the magic and into pursuing some enquiries about Tarumi-san, but unfortunately his flat had been subject to a tragic fire within half an hour of his murder and his computer at work inexplicably held no data. As they had rather suspected. Dejectedly returning from the police station where they'd gone to investigate, Kaito had detoured into Ekoda.

"It's not a _heist_," Kaito said softly, rolling his eyes. "I'm going into _my_ house to get _my_ stuff. I'm just not using the door because I don't plan on explaining that I'm in your body and I can't think to explain why Kudo Shinichi would know about that room. So we're using the back entrance."

"Why is this built into your house, anyway?" Shinichi asked as Kaito crawled up the wall as if he was Spiderman and made his way across the roof towards a skylight. From there he dropped into the attic, and moved a couple of floorboards to drop into another room below. It was pitch black, the moonlight from the attic barely penetrating.

"You can get away with buying an amazing amount of strange things and making a lot of odd noises when your profession is stage magic," Toichi said with a smile.

"Geez, your night vision is _awful_…" Kaito complained, putting the floorboards back in place.

Shinichi could already see the room; once he'd remembered that he didn't technically have eyes anymore, he didn't need light. He glanced around with a frown. "Hey, Kaito?" he asked. "Do you clean this place out often?"

"Are you kidding?" Kaito said with a snort. "Teenage guy here. Besides, I don't really spend that much time in here. Just leaving for and coming back from heists, normally. Why?"

"There's nothing here," Shinichi said, floating through the various shelves. Toichi was also looking around with a frown.

"Nothing?" Kaito asked. It sounded like he was frowning too. "No way. Let's see…" he stretched out an arm and rested it on a shelf. "There should be boxes on here… smokebombs mainly on this shelf, and stinkbombs and a _few_ firebombs, though I haven't used 'em yet… damn, there really is nothing. And there's supposed to be a good few dozen ringbinders and files over there…" he pointed at another set of empty shelves.

"Nothing," Shinichi responded. "It's all empty."

"It's never been this empty," Toichi commented, looking around the room. "It _shouldn't_ be this empty…"

"What?" Kaito said, sounding increasingly worried. "Well, it's all on my computer…"

"Should it be on the desk?" Shinichi said, floating over to said desk and peering under it.

"Yeah, it- why did you say _should_?" Kaito said suspiciously.

"Because it's not there," Shinichi said, looking around for the missing device. "They didn't just take the hard drive- monitor and keyboard are gone too. Man, they're _really_ suspicious of you… can't blame them, really…"

"They… you mean, this place has been _cleaned out_?" Kaito said in shock. "How… oh, damn," he sighed. "I guess they searched the place when I ended up in hospital…. They must have found the other door in the rec room sooner or later. Or maybe Kaa-san let 'em know… after all, it's got all my info on Snake and his pals…" he sighed heavily. "Don't know how we'll see it now…"

"If it's at a police station, I'm sure Kudo Shinichi'll be allowed to see it," Shinichi pointed out. "Let's get out of here, my body isn't as used to late nights as yours…"

"True," Kaito agreed, suppressing a yawn. "Back out the roof, I suppose…" he was about to clamber up the ladder he'd set against the wall when there was the sound of a door creaking. Kaito froze, instantly falling silent. Had they been heard?

Toichi darted through a wall, and returned a moment later. "It's the door to the rec room," he said, not bothering to keep his voice down. Only Shinichi and Kaito could hear him. "It looks like Aoko-chan's here…"

"_Aoko_?" Kaito mouthed in shock, moving over to press himself up against the wall besides what looked to be another hidden door. Shinichi could make out a painting of the Kid and a crescent moon, before following Toichi through the wall to have a look.

It was indeed Nakamori Aoko, wearing a dressing gown. Was she sleeping here? Not for the first time, Shinichi was struck by the girl's startling resemblance to Ran. And right now, her expression was precisely like Ran's right after a call from Shinichi. It struck at his heart. So sad…

She glanced around the room, slipping over Shinichi and Toichi as if they weren't there- to her, of course, they weren't. She sighed heavily. "Ahoko," she murmured. "You were dreaming. There's nobody here…" She paused before the door, the stopped, shaking her head. "No. He's not here any more than you are, huh, Toichi-ojisan?"

* * *

* * *

_Much awesome has happened this week! The Magic Kaitou anime episode was brilliant, not least Kaito's reaction to fish finally animated… and more Toichi clips to boot _ _ It's a little-known fact of my fangirling that I'm actually even more in love with Toichi than Kaito _ _ XDXDXD Kaito's mom is now named- Kuroba Chikage. The anime has its own art style, too, which is really slick but unfortunately the artwork on guy's hips is more than a bit weird. They tend to have wide, feminine hips, which just looks odd. But the theme tune is jazzy and awesome _

_Also in awesomeness: Latest Doctor Who episode. DOCTOR WHO. WITH WINSTON CHURCHILL. VS DALEKS. IN SPITFIRES. IN SPACE. You would not believe how happily my dad screamed when that happened XDXD I think all of his boyhood dreams just came true XDXDXD It was quite an awesome episode. Amy just gets cooler every week :D And next week… the Weeping Angels are back! I swear those things are the scariest creatures in the entire Doctor Whodom. And it looks like River Song is going to appear, too. Maybe we'll find out a little more of what the hell's up with her. I will admit: Mat Smith is a very, very good actor, and there is some very, very good writing in this. But I kind of hate his suit (Bow ties only really look cute on Conan, and even then it looks kinda toolish). And his hair. And his face. He's just not a pretty boy, IMO._

_Okay, review answers. A lot of people loved Vermouth turning up and Being Enigmatic, __**Cat**__ XDXDXD But as for her secret… well, a secret makes a woman a woman, no? ;) Heiji's not getting any answers today, any more than Haibara is… I got past perhaps the stickiest point in the story, so no pauses in sight any time soon ;)_

_Yeah, that was Vermouth's POV at the start, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__… and her being wonderfully enigmatic near the end XDXD _

_Possibly, __**Simply Anonymous**__, possibly XDXDXD Things are just gonna get more fun all the time here ;) _

_Waiting sucks, __**Madame of all Manga**__, but I'm glad you had a good time regardless ;) The anime's up, unsubbed, on YouTube. SOMEBODY MUST SUB IT! DX_

_I don't think either of the boys appreciate being interrogated, __**bloddy raptor**__, but right now that's not really the problem…_

_No, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__, I'm not going to explain it XDXD As I do with Vermouth, I'm going to be evil and leave it hanging for ages XDXDXD_

_Vermouth just happened, __**llamaglamasama**__. I like her because she's like Akako- you can make her just about as weird or omnipotent as you like XDXDXD_

_Vermouth will never stop tormenting us, __**tanteigirl69**__ XDXD Heiji's interrogation didn't go so well on its own… maybe he needs some help… ;)_

_Bingo, __**AmaryMei**__ ;) TANTEI OTAKU FOREVER! XDXD Hmm… how WOULD Heiji take seeing Ghost!Shinichi? XDXD_

_Indeed I am, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ XDXD NOBODY EVER EXPECTS VERMOUTH! *bricked for the Monty Python joke* I think ghosts probably would make poor Heiji's head asplode… :D_

_Poor Kaito hates corpses, __**Phantom-Akiko**__… and did I say that? :3_

_Writer's block had its evil way for a while, __**topaz-tantei**__… :( KID KID WORLD! I would totally go to that theme park XDXDXD Two Bites is one of the fics I'm considering writing next, and the most likely candidate since it's the one I've written most of…_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	25. 24:Wake

_**Chapter Twenty-Four**_

_**Wake**_

"No. He's not here any more than you are, huh, Toichi-ojisan?"

Toichi stiffened in surprise, and then turned to look at the door. Shinichi followed his gaze, and realized that the other side of the painting showed a lifesize portrait of Kuroba Toichi. It was very good, doves and all. Even in the dark room, it looked more alive than the white spectre glowing beside Shinichi.

Aoko sat down on a beanbag, staring at the painting. Then she sighed heavily and began to talk.

"I could probably go to the hospital to say all this," she said softly, "but I still can't really stand to see him like that, and anyway I don't think he can hear me there. If either of you could hear me, I feel like it would be here. And I need to get this out."

Shinichi heard Kaito almost inaudibly hitch in a breath through the wall. He could hear her, all right.

"I want to say goodbye, Kaito," she continued softly. "Even if you wake up tomorrow… you're not my best friend anymore. And I'm sure you won't. Once obasan has dealt with her grief… well, there's a lot of pressure to turn you off, a lot of proof that you won't ever wake up. And I want to help her through her grief. It's hurting her so much to have to let you go, you baka. How could you leave her like that?" she sighed again, tears glimmering in her eyes. "How could you leave _me_ like that? But then…" she smiled ruefully. "It doesn't hurt as much for me. Even though… I fell in love with you, once, I guess. No, that's not true. I fell in love, yes, but the man I loved was at best only a fragment of who you really are, at worst nothing more than a mask. Was that all you ever were? An illusion to hide everything you are, everything you feel?"

Shinichi had to peek through at Kaito at this point. His eyes were wide, a hand over his mouth to stifle sound, the Poker Face that he'd been training Shinichi's facial muscles into dropped entirely. Toichi's face was blank, hiding emotion. And tears were pouring down Aoko's face, looking like streaks of silver in the moonlight.

"I shared everything with you, Kaito!" she sobbed. "You were my best friend. I told you _everything_. I gave you my heart and my life. But you never gave me a thing. Never your feelings, never the truth, never your _trust_. Why did you even bother with me at all? Was it entertaining to prank me and run from me and pop back up to cheer me up? Was that all I was, Kaito? Just another game to you…" she sniffled and rubbed her face on her sleeve. "Well, I'm not a game. I'm a person. I'm a person with a broken heart, and now I've got to put it back together, and that's not just a simple puzzle. There's no riddle or game to it, nothing you're familiar with. I don't know who you were, or where you are now… but for the boy who was my friend, the man I loved… In your next life, or whatever, I hope you can find a _person_. In a world of games and puzzles for you, I hope you can find a person. I hope you can be more than an illusion. I hope you can be real, some day. If you're reborn, if you get a second chance, don't waste it acting. Spend it _living_."

She sniffled again, then yawned. "Wow, I'm deep when I'm sleep-deprived. Or insane. Look at me, talking to a portrait. I need to stop nagging obachan to get some rest when I'm not getting any myself… but… I said what I needed to say, I guess. I just… goodbye, Kaito. Goodbye." She shuffled to her feet, and left the room without a backwards glance.

* * *

His body wasn't getting any sleep tonight, Shinichi knew, but that was the least of his worries. On automatic, Kaito had wandered back to the Kudo mansion, and was now lying on Shinichi's bed, but he was still dressed and his eyes were wide open. It was getting on for three in the morning, two hours after hearing Aoko's one-sided conversation.

Shinichi was almost angry at the girl. Admittedly, she hadn't known he really _could_ hear her… but… dammit, did she have any idea what she'd just done to him? He'd been trying to make himself forget about her, but Shinichi knew from experience that it wouldn't be a quick process, even if Kaito had the advantage of having kept her at arm's length to begin with. And now…

He recognized the expression on Kaito's face when he'd heard Aoko's words. He could _see_ the raw pain, the feelings that had hit him when he overheard Ran's confession to Hondo. Just like him, Kaito had had to lie to and hurt the one he cared about most, and she had had enough. He knew that, he knew that he couldn't expect Ran or Aoko to understand what they never told them, but, dammit… Kaito was in very real pain here! He wouldn't even speak to his father, lost in whatever pool of self-loathing he was in…

Shinichi remembered that he'd had to be alone when he realized Ran's feelings, however, and was drifting at a discreet distance from Kaito (he couldn't bring himself to leave him entirely; if the thief took it into his head to do anything stupid, Shinichi's body would pay the price) and talking quietly to Toichi, who was also deeply worried about his son's condition.

"I watched those two grow up," he said softly, staring at his silent son. "Aoko's always been… so important…" he looked down with a sigh. "Damnit. This is my fault. I taught him Poker Face before I taught him to feel…"

"You would've had time for that," Shinichi said sharply, not wanting to deal with two depressed magicians, "You should've had time for that, if it wasn't for the Black Organization. Don't blame yourself. Blame them." Toichi just nodded, but he still looked downcast, and resumed watching over his son.

Kaito suddenly croaked out, "_Am_ I real?"

"What?" Shinichi said in confusion. Toichi drifted closer to his son, visibly worried.

"What she said," Kaito continued, eyes unmoving from their dazed inspection of the ceiling. "She was right, you know. When I was a kid, when Tou-san died…" his eyes finally moved, flicking over to his father's spirit for the briefest second, "when I saw how sad Kaa-san was, I acted like I was fine, trying to be strong for her… I was always pretending… and I've never really stopped. Even if I was ever hurt or upset, I pretended everything was fine… pretended to be an idiot to entertain those around me… pretended that I didn't feel anything for Aoko to protect her… pretended to be Kid to catch Snake… always, always, pretending. Masks and masks and masks… and now, pretending to be _you _all the time. I barely know how to drop my Poker Face any more, and really, I'm scared to. I don't know _how_ to be myself. I don't know if there's a _myself_ anymore to _be_…"

Shinichi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, to comfort the thief, but stopped. That was the question, wasn't it? The one that had tormented him so often? If you act for too long, _is_ anything left? He could remember the first time he came back to himself, how he'd called Ran "Ran-neechan" and tried to join in the Shonen Tantei-Dan's conversation. He'd thought it would be natural to return to himself, but "himself" had tried to be Edogawa Conan…

"I don't know," he found himself admitting, losing focus as his eyes glazed into a thousand-mile stare to match Kaito's- precisely, given how it was his body and all. "I wish I could say something comforting, Kaito, but I really don't know. I've spent so long acting as Conan that it's barely an act any more. The few times I've been back to myself, being myself has taken more concentration than being Conan, like "Kudo Shinichi" is the act now… maybe that's why you're doing so well as me. It's easy to act an act…"

"There's always something under the mask, even if you've just forgotten what it is," Toichi interjected softly, causing both to glance at him with identical disoriented expressions as they refocused on the here and now. "In the past couple of weeks both of you have been reduced to your most vulnerable, the time when your emotions are raw and real and even a master of Poker Face just can't keep it up... Neither of you are pretending right now, are you? When the masks have been stripped… there's always something underneath, even if it's only sadness and regret. But," he added, smiling kindly at them, an expression that reminded Shinichi forcibly of his own father, "You've also, both of you, let others see. Despite your attempts to the contrary, Kudo-kun, your soul is always exposed to us and we saw you as clearly as you see Kaito now. Both of you have shown someone else that you're real, even if it's only a ghost…"

"Y-yeah…" Kaito finally sat up, frowning slightly. "Hey… Shinichi… you'll remind me, won't you? That I'm real. That there's a me under here somewhere. I just… this whole now-I'm-a-ghost-now-I'm-not thing is throwing my emotions for a loop. I think I might need reminding sometimes. So will you…?"

"Tell me about it," Shinichi snorted, but grinned. "Sure. So long as you do the same for me. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Well, yeah," Kaito said, now grinning a grin that warmed Toichi's heart. It reminded him of how Kaito had smiled as a child, whether in pride at learning a new trick or in the joy of watching his father perform. It filled him with guilt to think that it may well have been the first genuine smile of its kind since his death. "After all, for better or worse, it looks like you're stuck with me."

"Kami help me," Shinichi said, rolling his eyes but grinning himself. Kaito gave a jawcracking yawn, causing Shinichi to begin berating him about wearing his body out. Toichi just drifted back with a smile, watching the boys banter.

He'd been worried, for a moment. Both of them had hit the ultimate identity crisis at the same moment, and he didn't want to think about the losses that would have been sustained had they failed to make it through. But they had made it, and now they had each other. In the ten years that Toichi had been a ghostly guardian of his son, and the eight that he had watched him grow before that, he couldn't think that his son had ever had a friend that he'd let in so completely as Kudo Shinichi.

Whatever was to come, for better or worse… they'd be all right, he was sure, as long as they stuck together. And with the pair of them now combined instead of enemies, he almost pitied the Syndicate for what was about to befall them…

Almost. There was just the small matter of their mixing up his smokebombs with firebombs.

* * *

He blinked, dim light swirling into shapes as his vision cleared. Some kind of steady pounding, almost in rhythm with some kind of beeping, was making it hard to think. Something felt odd, too, but due to aforementioned difficulties in thinking he couldn't define what.

There was a problem. He tried to force his way through the fog in his head as he tried to remember. As his vision cleared, he could see that he was in a hospital room, but he had a feeling he shouldn't be there. That it was dangerous to be there. He tried to remember why. Normally hospitals looked after you, right?

Someone was talking, by the door. He glanced over, and recognized a face. An… FBI agent, that's who he was.

That was when he remembered. The FBI were his enemies. He was caught. He didn't dare say a thing to them about the Syndicate, no matter what, and in any case They'd probably kill him anyway, just to be sure.

A memory flashed through his head, from right before the crash. A child. Not just any child. The child who lived with Mori Kogoro. The child who had been chasing Bourbon. It couldn't be… but…

Could it? When Gin had suspected Mori Kogoro… had he been suspecting the wrong one? Could it be that…?

He quickly closed his eyes again as he woke up fully, smoothing his face out into unconsciousness. No. As long as they thought he was still unconscious, they wouldn't be able to interrogate him. He just had to bluff until the Syndicate located him, and either retrieved or silenced him.

They found Kir. They'd find him too. It was only a matter of time.

By the time the FBI agents returned, Vodka was once more sleeping like the dead.

* * *

Shinichi drifted boredly, occasionally chatting idly with Toichi, while Kaito slept. The man was very entertaining to converse with, light-heartedly chatting in endless Kid-like riddles, but he spoke more bluntly and clearly when talking about something serious- like the topic of the night, Kaito.

"Wait. What?" Shinichi asked, almost gaping.

"Well, he was such an inquisitive child, you see," Toichi said with a shrug. "Got into everything and if he couldn't pull it apart to see what made it tick he'd poke it with a stick to see the reactions. I only turned my back on him for a moment- I was wanting to see when the dolphin shows were, there was a flier on the wall- and he somehow pulled himself up onto the edge of the viewing tank and tipped over… It didn't have anything dangerous in it, just a few small fish for kids to view, I think they used it as a sort of aquatic petting zoo for school groups, but he was only three and the fall gave him such a fright…"

"Ah," Shinichi said, trying not to snigger. "You got him out?"

"Of course," Toichi sighed, "but it took a moment because I panicked and tried to call for an attendant in Japanese, which being in Florida didn't cut a lot of ice… we got him dried off and wrapped up in towels, I got my ears burned off by an angry Minami-" Shinichi was getting good at reading the minimal expression changes of the magicians Kuroba; now he could always catch that bare flicker in Toichi's eyes whenever he spoke of his widow, that scratch of regret- "but the whole thing scared the life out of the poor boy. I couldn't take him to an aquarium again without him screaming bloody murder, though by his teen years I noticed that he tended to avoid such things in school or the like by simply vanishing."

"I'm sure his teachers were just grateful that he wasn't around to cause havoc," Shinichi commented, which made Toichi laugh aloud.

"I'm sure they were," he chuckled as he wound down, glancing down fondly at his son. Shinichi followed his glance, hoping that the soft snoring was somehow a product of Kaito rather than his body.

It was odd. It was _his_ body, but somehow, even know, he could see Kaito in it, even now while he was asleep and not even acting like his normal idiotic self. Maybe it was the moonlight washing over him from the parted curtains- like Shinichi, light didn't really bother him as he slept, and the magician probably preferred the moonlight. He looked oddly innocent when he was asleep, like he _wasn't_ capable of twelve thousand brands of personal mayhem up to and including breaking the nature of reality.

Of course, next time he tried it, Shinichi now had some ammo against him…

Shinichi began to grow curious as Kaito twitched and turned in his sleep. He didn't seem too happy. What was the thief dreaming about?

Before really thinking about it, Shinichi reached out. He had had ghosts tread in his dreams before, but never been in another's himself.

His first thought that it was fittingly weird for Kaito. The thief was fleeing from a mop, which was being used to hit him over the head by a yellow rose. Somehow below them, as if Kaito was running along a floor of glass, a white rose could be seen burning.

Coiled around it, snapping at Kaito's heels, was a black serpent with glowing red eyes

Shinichi frowned. He had materialized some distance from Kaito, so the other teen hadn't spotted him yet, meaning that he was still deep into the dream. It was riddles and symbols, Shinichi realized, just like everything else. It was the snake that tipped him off. Snake. Snake of the black organization. So the burning rose…

Toichi hadn't talked much about his death onstage. Shinichi had heard of it, though. Hadn't it been a disappearing act or something gone wrong? Something had exploded. Toichi had burned. White was Toichi's colour, surely, and as Shinichi watched, the burning petals curled into purple, then black; funerary colours.

Then the yellow rose had to be somebody as well. As soon as Shinichi thought of that, it had to be Nakamori Aoko. It was the mop that tipped him off. The colour, however, made him frown. Didn't yellow roses mean platonic love, or friendship? He was sure Sonoko had often rambled about the subject around Valentine's and the like.

As he was musing this, the snake somehow managed to move through the invisible floor and bite Kaito's heel. With a yell, Kaito pitched over and landed in the shadow of a much bigger rose, the leaves of which moved down to hide him. The snake and yellow rose moved past the rose, not seeing Kaito where he hid. The leaves moved again, and Kaito glanced up with a grateful grin. Shinichi looked up too, trying to see what colour it was, but it was curling and dying, the now-brown head dropping at the now-horrified Kaito's feet.

"Kaito," Shinichi called in alarm as the thief's face crumpled at the sight of the dead rose-head. "You don't look like you're having fun. Want to wake up?"

Kaito gave a slightly weak grin. "When did you get a sense of humour? I'm assuming it's really you because you're right; up until now, this dream hasn't been much fun."

"It's weird, is what it is," Shinichi responded, reaching out to pull the thief to his feet and back to reality. "By the way, did you catch what colour this rose was?" he prodded the dead rose with his toe as it faded. "I didn't see."

"Ah… no," Kaito said, but he didn't look at Shinichi when he said it.

* * *

* * *

_More potential KaiShin, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ ;) But first, angst and soliloquizing XDXD_

_Wouldn't you just love to see Ran matchmaking between these two, __**tanteigirl69**__? XDXD Well, can't really happen, for obvious reasons…_

_I'm sure Kudo Shinichi will be able to get into the police station, __**llamaglamasama**__. He has plenty of police pals. I wouldn't recommend breaking into a police station XDXD_

_Vermouth is an eternal mystery, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__ XD Yeah, the Vashta Nerada WERE really freaky, but I just find the style of the Weeping Angels episodes the scariest in the series. Don't blink…_

_Unfortunately, he doesn't, __**AmaryMei.**__ He just yells "ya beauty!" XDXD I soooooo hope they make more MK anime… they called it "episode 1", they've left the door wide open ;) What Aoko and Ran have done is sad and all, but it's all for a greater cause XDXD_

_Heiji and Kazuha are on the way, __**katioushinichi**__ ;) I can only do it because I read. All the time. Everything I can get my hands on. Ability by assimilation XDXD _

_They were extremely angry then, __**bloddy raptor**__. Normally, they can't affect the physical world at all. Heiji would have to SERIOUSLY piss them off to see flying furniture._

_Glad you like it, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ XD_

_Here ya go, __**Teldra**__ ;)_

_It's on YouTube, __**Myvampirepuppy,**__ but not subbed yet. I'm sure Kaito will think of something- he always does ;)_

_Even more Aoko here, __**Phantom-Akiko**__ ;)_

_*books __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ in the head* XDXD Kaito… is extremely freaked out, poor guy…_

_KaiShin will happen, __**Cat**__, no fear ;) Heiji's going to get confused a lot around Kaito and Shinichi :P Yeah, The Osakans are great friends :) I don't think even Kaito would break into a major police station XDXD_

_We're all curious about Vermouth, __**topaz-tantei **__XDXD So many ideas, so little free time to write them… damn school, wasting my writing time… XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	26. 25:Support

_**Chapter Twenty-Five**_

_**Support**_

"Geez," Sonoko sighed aloud. Eisuke glanced around and decided that he was the only person in the immediate vicinity, even if he was just passing her desk on the way back from the bathroom, and therefore that she must be talking to him. He followed her line of sight and saw her watching Ran, who was alternating between chatting with a couple of girlfriends and apparently holding some form of conversation with Kudo, who was otherwise absorbed in a couple of notebooks that he occasionally scribbled some extra note or other in. It didn't look like schoolwork.

"Something wrong, Sonoko-san?" he asked. The bleach-haired girl sighed in frustration.

"I don't get it," she complained. "Kudo-kun and Ran've been broken up a week and weren't even officially together in the first place. I thought she'd have suitors out the door already. Where are they? The girl's depriving me of precious gossip, dammit! I hope Kudo-kun's not scaring them away…"

"I'm sure he wouldn't," Eisuke said reassuringly, though he wasn't that sure; while Kudo _had_ made it clear to Eisuke that he was abandoning any claim to Ran, he had also expressed a fiercely protective nature regarding his best friend and Eisuke could imagine him scaring off anyone that he felt wasn't "good enough" for Ran. "I'm sure they're just observing a mourning period, you know?"

Sonoko suddenly whipped around and focused her fierce, calculating glare on Eisuke. He stepped back slightly. "Hmmm. Are _you_ just observing a "mourning period"?"

"Uhh, I…" Eisuke stuttered, mentally cursing as he felt himself flare up. He had had a slip-up of some sort approximately once ever half-hour since he learned to walk, but that hadn't immunised him against vicious blushing. Sonoko's sudden grin was not reassuring.

"I see," she said maliciously. "You know, much as I tend to forget that you're a guy-"

"Excuse me?"

"-You _are_ a guy, and not a bad one at that. Hmmm… okay, I've decided!"

Eisuke actually groaned aloud. He had known Suzuki Sonoko about a year and had spent half of that in the States, but he still realized that that phrase portended doom.

"Here's the plan," she said, snapping her fingers to get him to pay attention. "I'll set up a shopping trip this weekend, you and me and Ran. Then I'll beg out with a flu about five minutes before the meeting time. It'll just be you two!"

"H-hold on," Eisuke insisted. "Look, if I want to ask Ran-san out, I don't need sneaky plans, okay? I-I'll just… ask h-her out…"

"St-stuttering all the way?" Sonoko said mockingly. "Come on, it'll be fun, it'll be a comfortable way to be alone together… don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine!"

Eisuke quickly walked away again before Sonoko could launch into full planning-mode, knowing that he had probably already been ensnared.

He had to wonder if Kudo had supersonic hearing. The second he glanced over the busy detective again, he looked up from his notes, flashed a reassuring grin and rolled his eyes a little, before returning attention to his notebook. Eisuke glanced from him to Sonoko, who was also actually making notes on scrap paper with a disturbing grin on her face, and wondered what he was getting into.

"Eisuke-kun? Have you had lunch yet?"

Eisuke smiled and sat down next to Ran as she smiled brightly at him, joining in her conversation. "_Oh, yeah. Well, if it works, it's worth putting up with Sonoko._"

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"Poor Hondo, Sonoko seems to be drawing him into her insane matchmaking," Shinichi commented as he wandered back to Kaito, having been eavesdropping on his classmates for a while. Kaito glanced up to see the guy, now very red-faced and sputtering while Sonoko grinned disturbingly. He gave the guy a reassuring grin, before rolling his eyes at Sonoko's expression and returning to the notebook.

_And you called _me_ a stalker,_ Kaito scribbled in the margin of the notebook, being within close earshot of Ran and as such not wanting to risk muttering to himself. He was currently going through a few of Shinichi's notebooks of Syndicate information, adding notes and markers of his own and looking for links to his own notes, which after some sweet-talking of Megure-keibu Kaito had received permission to look at come the weekend. Akai was around again, adding his own comments to Kaito's notes, and it seemed they were going to have a right spiritual pow-wow over Kaito's notes this weekend, with Pisco, Irish and Bourbon being brought along for their input and knowledge base. It seemed that the Cerberus threat didn't just apply to Kaito.

"Now, now, stalking is no bad thing," Toichi cautioned lightly. "It's an important aspect of both our professions. The main difference is that detectives can be paid for it."

"It's called _tailing_," Shinichi snapped. Kaito's only response was to scribble _Potato, potahto_ in the margin.

"How much do you have on them, anyway?" Akai interjected, always on-topic. Kaito flicked to a fresh page as Eisuke sat down next to Ran and tried to wave off any conversation about the evil plans of Suzuki Sonoko.

_A couple of files full of stuff. A few sketches and photos I took surreptitiously of familiar faces, especially Snake's, and a few addresses and locations. Some have been destroyed or disused since, but most They don't know that I know about. I decided that I needed a few aces up my sleeve._

"Not bad," Shinichi said approvingly. "We can hit Them before They know we're coming."

"Just so long as none of Their people in the police have seen the files," Akai pointed out. "If They have, They'll abandon the places in very short order…"

_Unlikely,_ Kaito wrote. _Nakamori-keibu has custody of the files, and as far as I can tell so far only he's seen them. He won't let anybody else touch them. It took a _lot_ of work from Megure-keibu to get us in. Something about the Clock Tower case._

"You mean the only case where I handed your ass to you as Kudo Shinichi rather than Edogawa Conan?" Shinichi teased. Kaito blinked and nearly spoke aloud before writing again.

_Oh please. You didn't catch me. Everything went off just as planned. I achieved my objectives._

"Saving the clock tower?" Shinichi said shrewdly. "Your code said that you wouldn't let them take it…"

_You knew that? The police said nobody figured it out._

"I figured it out. I just didn't tell anybody because I respected your objectives." Shinichi grinned. "Even then, you were already the most… interesting adversary I've ever had. Catching murderers is my major passion, but figuring out what made someone like _you_ tick sort of became a hobby."

_What makes you think anything makes me tick?_ Kaito quipped, though he couldn't help a little grin as the notebook began filling with his half of the sniping contest. Akai sighed heavily and vanished, sensing that no more work was getting done today, and Toichi just grinned.

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"How are you doing, Nakamori-san?"Saguru greeted the girl as she cracked open the door to the Kuroba residence to let him in.

"Pretty good, actually," she said, offering him a warm smile. "How're things at school?"

"Disturbingly quiet," Saguru commented, following her in the door. They couldn't linger long on the porch steps without the press, who had learned Kaito's name if not his hospital, going nuts. "Even the teachers are commenting on it."

"Thanks," Aoko said brightly, taking the worksheets from him and flipping through them, making a face at the Physics sheet. Saguru raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn't flinched at the allusion to Kaito; no reaction at all.

"You seem in good spirits," he said, as Kaito's mother popped her head out of the kitchen to greet him. She was pulling up a smile too, though she still seemed pale and wan.

"I am, actually," Aoko said, leading him to the living room and sitting down to spread out the sheets next to her notebooks. "I guess… I've gotten it all out. My feelings, I mean. The confusion's cleared. I still can't quite forgive him, but I know that'll come with time. Bad memories fade faster than good, especially when it comes to those that you loved."

"Nakamori-san…?" Saguru said tentatively. She looked up at him, giving him a shockingly peaceful smile.

"I can accept that now," she said softly. "I _did_ love him, or a part of him- however much of him he was willing to show. I had to accept that to let it go. I'm angry at him, I hate him for how he lied to me and what he did to me… but that doesn't change the fact that I _did_ love him. But he's gone. His life's over, and mine…"

"You've got your entire life left, Aoko-chan," Kuroba's mother said as she appeared with tea. "And Kaito… even I can't say I know everything that went on in his head. But I _am_ his mother, and I do know that you were very, very important to him. I think, wherever he is, he doesn't want you to suffer."

"He'd better be kicking himself for causing _you_ all this grief, too," Aoko grumbled, passing a cup to Saguru. "So, you've decided…?"

The older woman sighed, settling herself down on the couch next to Aoko. "Like you said, Aoko-chan… he's gone. He's where Toichi is now, and I have to accept this. I can wait forever, the doctors said, and he won't wake up. I need to stop torturing myself with that near-impossible possibility. I can't move on until I do."

"You're switching him off?" Saguru asked. Kuroba's mother nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"As soon as I can get out of the house without being swarmed by the press," she said ruefully. "They're among the reasons that I saw only a few of Toichi's "shows" live and none of Kaito's. Necessary as they are to the Kaitou Kid, they can be such _vultures_."

"True," Saguru commented. "What about you, Nakamori-san? Are you going to grace the school with your presence again before graduation?"

"You should go back soon, Aoko-chan," Kuroba's mother encouraged. "Thank you for being here… I don't know what I'd have done without you… but I won't have you ruining your schooling on my account. I'll survive. I have before."

"I know," Aoko said, giving the older woman an affectionate hug. "But remember, you're not alone. You've always got Tou-san and I."

"I'm going to the station this weekend to go through Kuroba-kun's records, see if we can't track down these mysterious snipers," Saguru said. "We're also reopening the investigation into your husband's death, though it may have been too long cold to find anything. Still, I swear to you as a detective… we will bring them to justice. Murder cannot be excused."

"Thank you, Hakuba-kun," Kuroba's mother said, smiling warmly at him. "Thank you…"

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"Hattori Heiji," Heiji said as he picked up his phone, announcing an "unknown caller".

"_Hattori-san?_"

He paused as he recognized the voice. "Hey… ain't you Haibara?"

"_Brilliant deduction. I need to talk to you about Kudo-kun._"

"This about the antidote?" Heiji said, checking the clock. He didn't have to meet Kazuha for twenty minutes, he had time to chat. This was important. "I guess ya found th' proper one…"

"_Actually, I didn't. The antidote I gave him… frankly, it was a strain he'd used before and shouldn't have lasted more than twelve hours. I can find no chemical or biological explanation for it. Emotional turmoil over his breakup with Mori-chan doesn't produce any hormones that would affect the drug to this degree, and in any case he's remained remarkably chipper about it… just acting oddly._"

"Hell yeah he's actin' weird," Heiji said with a frown. "I mean, it's like- how do I say it? It's not just that he ain't himself. I've seen 'im down an' out. He's not even actin' like himself when he ain't himself."

"_I know what you mean. And more than that… Something strange happened not long before the antidote. An Organization member got into his house, and I believe tried to kidnap him…_" she fell silent for a few minutes, waiting patiently for Heiji to finish swearing violently. "_Quite. At any rate… I didn't quite know what was happening until afterwards. I just had a- a terrible feeling… it was more than a feeling. I _knew_ something was wrong, and it was wrong in Kudo-kun's house…_" she trailed off uncertainly.

"Go on," Heiji prompted, knowing that the scientifically-minded girl was clearly uncomfortable with such intangible things as bad feelings. "I know personally how real bad feelin's can be. So what happened?"

"…_I'm still not sure what I saw, and I'm sure my memory is playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw lights flickering… oddly… in Kudo-kun's house. I mean, the lights were an odd colour. And there were strange _crashes _inside… it sounded like _furniture_ was getting thrown around. Then the Raven came running out and drove off on a motorcycle… but he looked _scared_. Not just a little frightened like he'd had a football kicked at his head, but truly _terrified_. And then Kudo-kun went after him on his skateboard… but…_"

"Yeah?" Heiji prompted. He was already trying to think up possibilities for what Haibara thought she saw in Kudo's house; he knew that the girl wasn't prone to an overactive imagination. Kudo was known for having weird allies, maybe there was an FBI guy or some such hiding out in his house that got into the fight, maybe Agasa had made him a new gadget that Ai wasn't aware of…

"_Objects were _flying_ after him,_" Haibara blurted out, sounding like she didn't believe herself. "_I mean genuinely levitating. A few books, a lamp, a football and a bedsheet. They were floating two feet above his head and _following_ him, turning corners and all. When I went into his house, his room was a tip- his _bed_ had been thrown into the hall, with enough force to crack it in two. No single adult, at least not one of that Raven's size, could do that, and even Kudo-kun's shoes aren't that powerful. I swear on my sister's grave that I'm not making this up, but I'm praying you can think of some logical explanation, because I sure as hell can't._"

Heiji really, really wished she was making it up, but the girl was one of the most coldly logical souls he'd ever met, far more than Kudo or Hakuba. "… I'll try an' bring it up when I see Kudo this weekend."

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_VERY interesting revelations in the latest Kid arc. Those who haven't read chapter 733, look away now. Kid seems a bit more back in-character, delighting in messing with forging cheaters (I still think that the whole tazer thing was really OOC for Kid), but more interesting… was his mom really the Phantom Lady? That would explain how she and Toichi met, anyway XD Both manga and anime seem set on rewriting the character for Kaito's mom that I've got in my head… I even started thinking of her as Chikage now. For continuity's sake, I'll stick with calling her Minami for the rest of this fic, but I might switch to Chikage thereafter… or maybe I'll join Koorii and Dragon-sama's campaign to have her known as Nyoko, which also suits XD ("Jewel")._

_Also, who else, after watching the last Doctor Who arc, turned any little figurines or statues in their rooms to face each other, and set about any cracks in their walls or ceilings with a tub of Polyfilla? XDXD_

_You should get your teachers to start using fanfictions as study texts, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ XDXD What colour would that last rose have been…? :3_

_There are a lot of parallels between Kaito and Shinichi, __**Cat**__… that's probably why they understand each other so well… ;)_

_Glad you liked 'em, __**Teldra**__!_

_I guess I wrote the scene right if it made you cry, __**Phantom-Akiko**__ :') It means I got the emotions through right. I think Kaito would probably facevault into the pavement if he saw Aoko… good thing he's hanging around Beika these days, and she's hanging around Ekoda…_

_Glad you liked the dream, __**llamaglamasama**__… and I'm really happy to hear I'm writing a good Toichi, too :D He's my favourite character _

_I like having Toichi be a bit of an ____omnicogniscent father figure, ____tsuanyue____, and he's fun to write… Gotta love him _

___A jotter is a notebook, ____bloddy raptor____. Y'know, for writing your work in class in? My old jotters from Math class are kinda empty because three-quarters of the way through the year I realized I was failing epically at math and just gave up… and started writing fanfic in the back of them instead XD_

___Indeed, ____SoftcoreOtaku____ XDXD The Vashta Nerada still freak me out because the way my ceiling lamps are set up, I always have three shadows… scared the hell out of me right after seeing that episode XDXDXD I think Midnight might have been one of the scariest, though, partially because of the insanity premise, and also because we never really did find out what the hell it was… I miss David Tennant too (yes, Matt Smith is a good actor, but he's just not as good-looking), but I have to admit that I really, really love Amy ;)_

"_NOBODY EXPECTS THE AKAKO INQUISITION!" *bricked for the Monty Python reference* I think everyone's guessed about the rose, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__… except Shinichi :3_

_Kaito saw it, but did he guess what it meant, __**simply anonymous**__? :3 Here's your next (and somewhat more upbeat) chapter!_

_It's all for the sake of KaiShin, __**Madame of all Manga**__. Just remember that ;)_

_I'm slowly building up, __**AmaryMei.**__ I'm not intending to go straight into KaiShin, like they were never in love with Ran or Aoko; That's what all the heartbreak is about. Of course, they _are_ slowly falling for each other, but it'll take them even longer to realize because, of course, neither is aware that he could fall for a guy… am I making them bi, or is it just each other? As Captain Jack said: "_You people and your quaint little categories!" _XDXDXD Never heard of Niea_7, so if it does look like their fic, erm… great minds think alike? XD DCTP has subbed it now, and DAMN it's awesome! I have to say, among my favourite bits was Ginzo going "how long have I yearned- erm, no, how long have I CHASED you?" XDXDXD GinzoxToichi? *bricked* I love it, though, especially the jazzy theme tune ;)_

_Okiya turned up at the same time as Scar Akai, __**Pu7o**__, whom I do not believe is actually Akai. He is acting extremely bizarrely if he is really Akai, on top of having switched his dominant hand. I actually strongly believe that Okiya is Akai, but for the purposes of the fic Akai actually died, so Okiya got to be Bourbon. And Scar Akai does not exist :P_

_I want to thank __**BobbyNeko**__ for all of your insightful and philosophical reviews. They are a joy to read :) Thank you, and I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so much! I'd love to see this animated too, but I'm just not good enough at animation to make even a stick-figure rendition :P_

_Did you have fun on your trip, __**tanteigirl69**__? :) Both of the boys are a bit dim… when it comes to romance, anyways XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	27. 26:PostMortem

_**Chapter Twenty-Six**_

_**Post-mortem**_

Kaito absentmindedly copied out notes and diagrams at high speed into the detective-sized notebook in his coat. He'd quickly discovered, in the way of one who habitually hides a multitude of tools and several small animals in their clothing, that Shinichi had a notebook stashed in almost any item of clothing with pockets. Probably helpful, since there was a lot here. Not all of it was useful anymore, and Kaito's handwriting, like his father's, was indecipherable enough without being written in Kaitou-code, so the ghost Ravens had been sent away while Kaito and Toichi sifted through it and Shinichi and Akai drifted in paranoia, watching for Hattori's return. The Osakan detective had returned as promised to go through Kaito's files, and had been watching him the entire time with a Look that suggested that he had something serious to talk about, but since Kaito had insisted on meeting at the police station he hadn't had a chance yet.

Then the sounds of an argument drifted down the hall.

"Haven't heard Hattori swear like _that_ in a long time," Shinichi commented as the louder of the two voices became recognizable- and my, wasn't it colourful. Kaito frowned as he recognized the other voice. Wasn't that…?

Hattori returned to the room with another few folders, carrying on a vehement argument with a second detective, also clutching folders. A very familiar Caucasian detective.

"_Hakuba?!_" Kaito thought. Shinichi whipped around, remembering Kaito's feelings on this particular detective.

"Do nothing," he hissed. "I haven't even met this guy as Shinichi. Play it cool, no sign that you know him at all, _got_ it?"

Kaito nodded slightly, and then looked up to glare at the two arguing as if they had shattered his concentration. Hakuba broke off in mid-sentence, staring at him in surprise.

"_Kuroba_?!" he said in shock. Kaito forced himself to just blink in confusion.

"Kuroba?" he asked neutrally. "Isn't he the guy Kid turned out to be?" He narrowed his eyes on the folders in Hakuba's arms. "I'm sorry, but who are you? Are you another detective?"

"Oh yeah, you guys ain't, er, met," Hattori remembered. "Hakuba, this is Kudo Shinichi. Kudo, this prick is Hakuba Saguru. I think I mentioned him to ya…"

"Colourfully," Kaito supplied. Understanding seemed to be entering Hakuba's expression. "Hajimemashite, Hakuba-kun. I have to admit, when I looked at the pictures of Kuroba, I got the impression of looking in a mirror… But really, isn't he supposed to be in a coma?"

"Ah, yes," Hakuba sighed, visibly shaking himself a little. "Forgive me, Kudo-kun. You're simply such a startling doppelganger of his, and if there's anyone whom I would believe could escape from a hospital after being declared brain-dead…"

"I suppose," Kaito chuckled, preening just a little. He was actually kind of thankful that Hakuba was here. It might distract Hattori away from _watching_ him the whole time. It would be bad if the detective figured things out. Hattori was protective enough of his friend as it was, Kaito didn't really want to explain that not only had he inadvertently stolen Shinichi's body, but he had no idea how to give it back…

The three of them settled into going through Kid's files, Hakuba occasionally trading a decoding comment with Kaito and trading insults with Hattori. He seemed, Kaito was rather gratified to see, to be applying his usual meticulous obsessiveness to the Black Organization rather than the mysteries of Kid, clearly determined to catch the snipers and placing more than one call to cops who were willing to let his father's influence sway them. However, after a while Kaito was starting to feel an old itch. He tried to ignore it for the sake of his act, but dammit, it kept _growing_…

"That case is particularly odd," Hakuba said, nodding towards the file that Kaito was opening. He saw it was the one from where he'd dealt with the robot in his image. "The mechanism was extremely advanced, I wonder if it isn't connected…"

"I suppose we'd know more if we could examine the robot- did they find a lot?" Kaito asked absentmindedly, flipping through the police literature.

"Jus' scraps a' metal, really…" Hattori said, but Hakuba was suddenly frowning.

"Robot?" he said inquisitively. Kaito blinked, and then looked through the folder. "Sounds like something out of science fiction. I thought the police had always assumed that it was a human perpetrator using advanced robotics…" Oh shit, that's right, the police never knew about the robot, and he'd never noted that down himself…

"Ah, true," Kaito said, affecting a little chuckle. "Silly assumption."

"Very silly," Hakuba agreed. "And from what I understand, highly unlike you, Kudo-kun."

"True," Hattori said with a frown. "Why'd ya pull a theory that weird outta the blue?" he was narrowing his eyes, probably beginning to analyse him again. Oh shit, he' d really slipped up, no _way_ Shinichi would propose anything that bizarre without total evidence, the only one who'd know what had really happened on that rooftop was the Kaitou Kid…

He relaxed slightly. It was a feeling he often got whenever Kudo had previously outed one of his disguises on a heist. Oh well, if they were on the verge of figuring him out, might as well go for broke…

"Kudo, jus' lay it out already!" Hattori growled, his temper, visible strained all day, beginning to snap. "What th' hell's been goin' on with ya lately?"

"Oh dear," Toichi said, correctly interpreting Kaito's expression.

"Kaito, don't you dare," Shinichi said abruptly. "Damn, that was stupid… just try to pass it off as distracted, daydream, a crazy conspiracy theory of Conan-kun's…"

"They won't buy that and you know it," Kaito murmured. Hakuba and Hattori both stared at him.

"What was that?" Hakuba said suspiciously. Hattori was tapping his ear and glancing around. _He can hear stuff sometimes_, Shinichi had said.

Well, shit. Kaito didn't care anymore.

With that, he promptly dyed Hakuba's hair bright blue, and fled.

"KUROBA!" Hakuba bellowed angrily, giving chase. It sounded like Hattori was following, and cursing loudly. Kaito allowed himself a crazy laugh.

"What the hell were you _thinking_?!" Shinichi yelled, absolutely livid. "Are you even _capable_ of serious thought?!"

"I'm afraid even I don't understand why you just did that," Toichi said with a frown as Kaito ran out of the police station and made for the park. "And frankly, whenever your mother compared your sanity to mine it was not without reason."

"You could well have just blown his cover!" Akai raged, as livid as Shinichi. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"I'll tell you why." Kaito slowed down. They were alone in a small park, empty at this time of the evening. He stood on a swing, swinging his body a little to get some momentum going, staring unseeingly at the crazy colours the sky went as the sun dipped below the horizon. "Don't you realize how much the game has changed at this point? Shinichi, you've been carrying this alone for your entire _life._ The only people you've shared it with are the dead, like us, and even then you don't share that much since we're only supposed to be around temporarily. The only people you feel you can show this aspect of yourself to always leave you. We have to."

The three spirits had fallen silent at such a deep proclamation from him. Shinichi was looking a little confused and affronted. Akai had gone back to being blank, but there was an expression of disturbingly deep understanding on Toichi's face. Kaito forged on.

"But this isn't like some single murder victim, Shinichi. For Enma's sake, there are at least _fifty_ hanging around you now, and you said that wasn't even all of them. And this case puts your life at very serious risk. Because of… my _stupid_ mistake…" he frowned, staring down at the body he was wearing. Had _stolen_. "… There's a chance that it's already killed you. Stop trying to carry this on your own. Hattori and Hakuba are detective geniuses too, you can't deny that. And your pal Hattori has already shown himself to be an amazing friend and very capable of dealing with weird. And Hakuba… well, if I had a life left to put on the line, I'd be willing to gamble it on him, and not because I have an addiction to playing crazy odds. They both care about justice. So stop trying to do everything on your own. I want to help you, but I'm no detective. I know I've just caused trouble since I died…" His point was exemplified as a cold breeze ruffled through his hair and pushed him slightly on the swing, but didn't touch the spirits. They couldn't feel it, any more than they could feel the warm or the cold. They could pretend that they could, but in the end they were trapped in number purgatory. In his father's and Akai's cases because of the Syndicate, in Shinichi's case because of…

"Not always," Shinichi said softly. "Okay, the body-stealing thing is a problem. But solving problems is what I do. You've been a help in other ways… your notes may have some important locations for us to hit, and not just in work… when I broke up with Ran, you…" he took a deep breath, then smiled a little. The sight was oddly uplifting. "You helped me more than I thought anyone ever could or would. Thank you."

"You're… welcome," Kaito said, feeling a little flushed. He swung the swing he was perched on a little more. "I just… you're not alone, okay? Now… and after we're gone… I don't want you to be alone."

"… Possibility one, you're insane and talking to yourself. I would very much like to believe this possibility. Possibility two, based on that I recently checked up on Kuroba's body and confirmed that it _is_ Kuroba's: the soul of Kuroba Kaito is somehow possessing that body and talking to the soul of Kudo Shinichi. Normally, I abide by the law of "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," but this _is _Kuroba we're possibly talking about."

Kaito whipped around in shock, having completely forgotten that Hakuba and Hattori were following him. He had also forgotten that he was standing on a swing. When he began to fall, he reacted automatically; his feet pushed off against the edge of the swing and his arm reached up to grab the top bar, pulling him up to sit on it. Reflexes weren't quite as fast and muscles not quite as flexible as he'd like, but thanks to daily gymnastic practice he was getting there. It only took a little extra effort, felt like a little more strain than he was used to.

Now crouching on the top bar, he got a good look at the detectives that had followed him. Hattori was looking like his brain may have just exploded. Hakuba had a look on his face that was a combination between utterly shocked and deeply calculating, and Kaito got the distinct feeling that that acrobatic stunt, or attempt thereof, had just confirmed Possibility Two.

"…would you believe it if I went for door number two?" he said, dropping the last of his Kudo Shinichi act. He glanced over at Shinichi, expecting him to be facepalming, but instead the spirit just looked defeated, and a little lost in thought. "Wish there really _was_ a door. I can't get out."

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me," Hattori gaped, "But I never known Kudo ta do stuff like that, an' ya sure as hell ain't talkin' like him."

"No, the speech patterns and acrobatic instincts are very distinctly Kuroba's," Hakuba said softly, before tugging at his hair. "As is _this._ Also he suggested something that no rational person would normally think of without further information…"

"Yeah, that was stupid of me," Kaito sighed, remaining on the top bar, not quite willing to drop back down too near to Hakuba lest he be cuffed. "I wasn't making it up, though. It was programmed to think it was me, just, um… violent."

"I'm sure it was," Hakuba said dryly, whether he believed Kaito or thought he was insane (or possibly both) Kaito wasn't sure. "So you… are truly Kuroba? But I stopped by the hospital on my way to the police station…"

"Yeah, my body's still there," Kaito sighed, "But unfortunately it doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. Reikai-tantei-san here took me in- literally, at one point- but unfortunately, some weird crap happened and now I can't get back out."

Hattori had been gibbering slightly, but now he gasped, "Th' antidote! Is that why it lasted?!"

"Not sure how or why, but apparently," Kaito said sheepishly.

"Because you break reality whenever you touch it," Shinichi sighed, floating down to look closely at Hattori. "Just like I think you're breaking Hattori's brain."

"Shinichi says I break reality," Kaito supplied as Hattori looked around and shivered. "Hey, can you sense something, Hattori? He's right in front of you right now, and he once said he thinks you've heard stuff sometimes…"

"Yeah… wait, right here?!" Hattori yelped, waving his hand right in front of him and, unbeknownst to him, right through Shinichi's head. Shinichi jerked back with a surprised yelp, though obviously it hadn't touched him.

"Don't do that," Kaito said with a frown. "You just scythed your hand through his head, and even though he's insubstantial now it still looks creepy."

"Speaking of creepy," Hakuba interjected as Hattori gibbered, "I'm still not sure I have a handle on what's going on, but I _really_ want to know and I think I might just know somebody who will."

It was the word "creepy" that did it. Kaito raised his fingers to make a cross sign, backing away from Hakuba. "No. No way. Not telling _her_ about this. No, no, _no-eep!_"

Balancing on the bar was taking a lot of concentration in Shinichi's untrained body. Shuffling backwards across said bar proved to be asking more of the body than it could do. Kaito yelped as he fell backwards off the bar.

He was only winded for a moment- it wasn't a long fall. But in that moment, a detective had latched onto each arm, dragging him up in a pair of vicegrips. Due to his kendo, Hattori had a more muscle on his arms than Shinichi, whose power was in his legs, and Hakuba was somewhat taller than Shinichi. The pair of them had him overpowered, and he couldn't slip out of their grip. Every time he tried, he was depending on muscles that were evenly spread and made of rubber; Shinichi had much less power in his arms than his legs, and _way_ less flexibility than Kaito. He was trapped.

"Your body is kind of annoying to wear, you know that?" Kaito sighed, relaxing and glaring at Shinichi. Unfortunately, Hattori and Hakuba did not take his relaxation as a sign that they should relax their grips. Damn.

"Hey, if I could take it back I would," Shinichi responded, rolling his transparent eyes at Kaito and following as the two detectives began dragging him off to Ekoda.

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_It's the 4__th__ of May! You know what that means- HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHINICHI! May the Fourth be with you! *bricked* In honour of Shinichi's birthday, here's a double feature of chapters, and I've also made Shinichi a Time Lord. Check it out: youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v=399M2oj9b7g_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	28. 27:Seance

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven**_

_**Séance**_

"Sooo… where're we goin'? Somewhere where alla this'll make sense?"

"In a way. It'll make sense compared to everything else, at least."

"Noooo… not Koizumi… I beg of you!" Kudo/Kuroba moaned, making another weak struggle against the vicegrip that Saguru and Hattori had him in. Saguru took the struggles as further affirmation of the insane possibility that Kuroba might be in there, on the basis that as far as he knew Kudo Shinichi had never met Koizumi Akako, let alone become so intimately acquainted with the depths of her weirdness that he would consider a visit to her this terrifying. He said as much aloud.

"Actually, he met her once, but only after he picked up me," Kudo/Kuroba said. Then he looked up, and got that slightly glazed look that Saguru had taken to mean that he wasn't talking to either of them anymore. "Come on, remember? She was the one that told us I'd gone brain-dead. Before the antidote. Yeah, her. Yeah, she is. Don't blame me, it's your fault you don't have any double-joints."

"I'm not gonna ask," Hattori moaned. "I kinda wanna know, but I kinda wanna don't…" then he looked a little confused. He seemed awfully jerky around Kudo/Kuroba. Then again, Kudo/Kuroba _had_ said that Hattori "hears stuff sometimes". Saguru decided to go the whole hog on suspension of disbelief and assume that the jerks meant that Kudo Shinichi was talking.

"He says that's more self-restraint than you showed when you flushed out Conan," Kudo/Kuroba commented chirpily. Hattori rolled his eyes.

"Conan? Edogawa Conan?" Saguru said with a frown. "What does he have to do with this? And… should I ask why you keep talking about an antidote?" Hattori jerked again, and Kudo/Kuroba's eyes grew glazed.

"No, I know," he said, "but is that actually bigger than _this_? I can promise you that Koizumi will drag out _everything_ anyway. No, I… I know, that's why I'm asking _this_ time." He blinked and looked at Saguru. "He's not happy with me, but you seem to be stuck in this now too so I might as well explain a bit… Edogawa Conan was Kudo Shinichi. Weird poison. Men in black. Life in hiding. Antidote. Me breaking the universe. That's the short version." Saguru just blinked at him, trying to rationalize it all, and coming up with something of a story resembling a sci-fi manga. It _did_ explain a lot about Edogawa Conan, though…

"_Hella_ short," Hattori huffed. "What th' hell, Kudo?! Ya got on _my_ case 'bout bein' a security leak so much…"

"Yeah, and he's _really_ pissed at me too now," Kudo/Kuroba commented. "Oh, crap. We're here."

They had indeed reached the gothic mansion that was home to one Koizumi Akako, with its distinctive flock of crows sitting on the gate. For some reason, Kudo/Kuroba shivered violently to look at them, though they were by no means the creepiest thing there.

Akako was waiting halfway up the path to the door. The expression on her face made Kudo/Kuroba renew his struggles as Hattori and Saguru frogmarched him up the drive. Hattori, Saguru was secretly gratified to see, was already sporting the expression of confusion and apprehension appropriate to those seeing Koizumi for the first time, especially when she was dressed as some mix between a goth, Cleopatra and a type of woman that the gentlemanly Saguru pretended not to know about.

"Oh, Kuroba-kun, you silly thief," she sighed the instant she laid eyes on Kudo/Kuroba. Were the snakes on her shoulder pads looking at him too? No, that was absurd. "You're no better, Reikai-tantei. What on _earth_ did you think you were doing?" There was silence for a moment, with Hattori twitching and both Koizumi and Kudo/Kuroba looking at some spot a couple of feet above them, and Koizumi said, "No, I don't believe so. Your body's been sealed now, you fool. Nobody can get anything in or out, not without a _tremendous_ amount of power."

"Huh?" Hattori said, with an "explain please" expression. Kudo/Kuroba had just slumped defeatedly.

"Koizumi-san," Saguru said patiently, "can you explain what's going on? In a manner intelligible to normal people?"

"Just bring him inside," Koizumi said, turning on her heel and vanishing through the huge double doors.

"What th' hell?" Hattori asked. Saguru just shrugged a little and started tugging Kudo/Kuroba towards the house.

"Just go with the flow and some of it makes sense," he murmured, then couldn't help a yelp of pain as, the second he stepped through the door, he was flung aside from Kudo/Kuroba. He heard Hattori yell and presumed a similar experience, but he also heard three other moans and a trio of _thumps_.

"What…" he began to ask, getting up, then trailed off as he stared at Kudo/Kuroba. Who had just tripled.

He was sitting in the middle of some pentagram on the floor, surrounded by sigils and unpleasant shapes, all of which were glowing an odd reddish-gold. A recognizable shape was slumped against an apparent twin, wearing a combination of a green jacket, a yellow hoodie and blue jeans. The third form was hidden from Saguru by the first two, but was wearing what may have been Kid's uniform, minus hat and cape.

"… Did Kuroba just split into three?" he croaked, suddenly very afraid for the future. One Kuroba caused chaos enough, thank you.

"Holy…" Hattori was gaping in shock. Akako reappeared, pacing around the outside of the glow.

"Quite the opposite," she said, examining something. "In this space, those ghosts that were following him have become somewhat corporeal, for now. But none of the three can leave this space, and once I remove the spell they will be spirits once more. You are the true Kudo Shinichi, I presume?" she said, addressing the young man in the green jacket who was sitting up and staring down at himself in shock.

"Is this so they can see and hear me too?" he said, nodding at Saguru before turning to Hattori. "Hey. Um… this is kinda hard to explain."

"Yer tellin' me," Hattori croaked in surprise, before glancing at the third figure, who was stretching and standing up, as helped by Kuroba, who seemed unable to contain a soft grin. "Who're you?"

"Kami above, I haven't felt like this for ten years," an adult voice mused. "I'd forgotten how _heavy_ bodies were…"

"Kuroba Toichi-san, Hajimemashite," Akako said politely. The man gave a flourishing little bow in response. He wasn't wearing Kid's costume, but it was similar, merely lacking the hat, monocle and cape, and with the red tie replaced by a white bow-tie. He looked like a mature version of Kuroba, with a slightly better-tamed fringe and a small moustache. The first Kid.

"So… just what's going on?" Kuroba asked, rubbing his head a little. It caused Kudo Shinichi's pristine hair to spike up into something more approximate to Kuroba's normal style. "Any ideas?"

"Some," Akako mused. "As you may or may not be aware, only Reikai-tantei or others with significant spiritual power can allow ghosts to possess them. Their souls are more loosely connected to their bodies, to allow you influence over the spirit world. However, you, Kudo-kun, allowed Kuroba-kun to possess you when your body was extraordinarily weak. It could have destroyed you, but as a self-protective measure it instead fully sealed the inhabitant soul inside. Spirits can no longer move freely in and out of your body. It's Kuroba-kun's body now."

Kudo paled rapidly while Koizumi was speaking. Once she was done, he groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Kuroba looked upset and guilty, and to some surprise put a consoling hand on Kudo's shoulder. Toichi just shook his head sorrowfully, crossing his arms.

"So wait- Kudo's _dead_ now?!" Hattori cried, jerking to his feet. "No way!"

"He is a spirit without a body," Koizumi said, shaking her head. "That is as good as dead…" then she raised a hand to her mouth, looking thoughtful. "Then again, you have the power of the Reikai in you. Perhaps… no. No…"

"What?" Toichi said sharply, striding to the edge of the circle closest to her. "Ojousan, what were you thinking? Don't say "it won't work". You would not have considered it otherwise." Akako paused, locking gazes with the late thief. Unusually for those faced by her burning red irises, he did not look away or flinch, but simply countered with a pair of brilliant off-blues that Kuroba had visibly inherited. After some silent confrontation, it was _Koizumi_ who looked down, though she smiled a little.

"Well…" she tapped her chin thoughtfully with sharp black nails. "Do you know what Necromancy is?"

"Raising the dead," Saguru said, narrowing his eyes on Koizumi. "Why?"

"Don' tell me _that's_ real too," Hattori moaned, closing his eyes and leaning back to bang his head repeatedly against the foyer wall behind him.

"Just a thought," Koizumi said softly, stalking around the circle again. "Under normal circumstances-"

"Do you even know what normal means?" Kuroba asked wryly, causing his father to chuckle. Kuroba Toichi seemed to be the only person in the room not scared to death of Koizumi (leaving aside that he _was_ already dead). Saguru was briefly glad that he'd only ever faced Kuroba Kaito, never his father. The original Kid had clearly been a force to be reckoned with- which was, perhaps, why he had died.

"-The one raised by necromancy is merely a mindless zombie, under another's control. A soul cannot be placed in the body. But with the power of the Reikai…"

"Ya wanna raise a dead body an' put Kudo in it?" Hattori said in shock. "Hell no!" Kudo, who had kept his head in his hands the entire time, looked up sharply and stared at Koizumi.

"Worry not, I was not considering a rotten corpse," Koizumi said, waving a hand frivolously, making Kudo look slightly calmer but not really alleviating anybody's worry. "I was considering… Kuroba-kun's."

"Wait-what?!" Was the response from at least four of them. Koizumi was staring at Kudo contemplatively.

"Yes, it could work," she decided aloud, ignoring the various degrees of questioning gibbering coming from around the room. "Of course, we'd need to take it off of life support first so it can die. It's trying to, it's sealed off from souls… but if it dies and then I bring it back… yes, it could work."

"You have to kill him…" Toichi said, looking uncomfortably at his son, who to Hakuba's surprise was not joining the gibbering but instead was staring thoughtfully at Koizumi.

"You do realize that you're getting taken off of life support tonight, in any case?" Saguru pointed out. Three near-identical heads whipped around to stare at him.

"I'm getting-?!" Kuroba choked. Kudo grabbed his shoulder this time as he jerked towards Saguru, before he stepped out of the circle. The sigils flared slightly. Toichi kept a better Poker Face than his son, but even he had paled far enough to be almost a ghost again.

"The media have been trailing off of your case for a few days now," Saguru said heavily. "Nothing happening. Now that your mother's been able to go back to the hospital to visit you, there's a lot of pressure from the doctors. They say that you're brain-dead, you'll never wake, it's better to let go of you now so they can rechannel the resources to patients they can save…"

"Kaa-san…" Kuroba said softly, staring at his feet. Toichi closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

"Well, we haven't a moment to lose then, have we?" Koizumi said briskly. "Say goodbye to gravity, boys."

"Hey-" Kudo yelped before his voice vanished as he faded out. Toichi had given his son an affectionate rub on the head before his fingers faded through the bangs. Kuroba blinked as Koizumi, somewhere in the flash of fading sigils, had switched to a marginally more normal-looking black corset and long skirt. She strode towards the door, grabbing Kuroba's arm and dragging him with her. To Saguru's surprise, and Hattori's too judging by his expression, Kuroba followed quite willingly.

"Are you two coming?" Akako called back. "You don't have to. And just so you know, if you try to explain this to anyone, particularly the police, on top of being considered lunatics your teeth will fall out."

Hattori looked over at Saguru, clearly at a loss. "What jus' happened, an' what th' hell are we gonna do?"

"What makes you think I know?" Saguru said, shaking his head. "I did warn you that when Koizumi gets involved things move beyond mortal comprehension."

There was a moment's silence. "… she's gonna kill that Kuroba guy."

"He's dead already. She might also be saving Kudo-kun's life. Or at least giving him one."

"True…" More silence.

"The ones inhabiting bodies here, and thus in charge of the situation, are Kuroba, who is certifiably insane, and Koizumi, whose unique weirdness you have just been witness to."

"Somebody oughta keep a bit a' sanity around, then, right?"

"My thoughts precisely."

"…Aww, crap. Oi, Koizumi-han! Wait up!"

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_It's official; I have levelled up from "High School Student" to "Unemployed". Are there no cheapshit temp jobs for pre-Uni students anymore? XDXD_

_Theoretically, __**Cat,**__ Kaito's name is out in the news by now, so surely the students of Ekoda High are now aware that the Kaitou Kid was in their midst, and no doubt the rumours are flying… but I'm sure Saguru'll be a gentleman and keep them from bugging Aoko ;) They've gone for Akako instead of Aoko or Ran… which is probably even worse… XDXD_

_I'm sure they'd think it very politically correct of you, __**Marie Ravenclaw **__XDXD It's Akako… *insert dramatic music and crashes of thunder here, and whinnying horses if you're a Mel Brooks fan* XDXD Aww, you still have class… I don't! *Happy Dance*_

_Could it be the revelations, __**Ebil Stasia?**__ Or the hints at KaiShin? XDXD_

_Gotta love it when the boys come together, eh, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__? :3_

_Of course they're not letting him go, __**Teldra**__ XDXD_

_The witch… did that, __**bloddy raptor**__ XDXD_

_Double-chapter posting FTW, __**Phantom-Akiko**__! XDXD and you bet correctly… how could I _not_ get Akako in on this? XDXD_

_Akako of course, __**llamaglamasama**__ XDXD Don't worry, even Shinichi forgets his own birthday XD_

_Hope your computer gets better, __**kaitoushinichi**__ ;) And I'm glad the emotions seemed real. It's something I've felt like as well._

_You're welcome, __**simply anonymous**__ ;) Poor Kaito, facing Akako…_

_Poor Ai-chan, eh, __**AmaryMei**__? I had fun writing that bit of banter between Kaito and Shinichi, glad you enjoyed it ;)_

_I love Akako, __**Madame of all Manga,**__ I just don't think she appears enough :( Double the KaiShin is never bad ;)_

_Next… to the AKAKO INQUISITION! *shot* I have fun writing Akako, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ :)_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	29. 28:Necromancy

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight**_

_**Necromancy**_

It was weird, Kaito reflected, looking down on his own body. He, Hattori and Hakuba (the latter two had caught up with them halfway out of Koizumi's gate, glaring at Koizumi and professing themselves the defenders of the last sanity and logic in the universe) had gotten in by claiming to be with the investigation, and needing to see Kuroba's medical records (Hakuba's hair had gotten some sceptical looks, but the doctors agreed). Soon two detectives would leave for one of the Nurses' offices to get more detail. Koizumi, who had just been written off as a tagalong or possibly a fourth detective (the obviously charmed male doctor hadn't asked), would remain with Kaito.

Aside from the two ghosts, one concerned, one furious.

"Are you going to listen to me at _all_ today?" Shinichi raged angrily.

"Why break the trend?" Kaito said with a shrug, examining his body. The gunshot wounds were healed somewhat, not completely but enough to be inhabitable. Awfully thin from a few weeks of IV food, pale from lack of sunlight. He'd have to get Shinichi out and about in it, though that may be inviting disaster. But hey, that was status quo for the both of them, wasn't it?

"Kaito, you don't have to do this," his father kept saying. Hattori was already leaving the room, getting deeply uncomfortable with the voices that lingered on the very edge of his hearing, and Hakuba had that inquisitive look on his face whenever he was trying to deduce what the ghosts were saying.

"Yes, I do," he replied softly. "My body, my choice. And I owe Shinichi a body. After today it won't be much use to anybody else anyway. Besides, you know how alike we look- not too much of a switch, right? You're getting a hell of a lot of double-joints and gymnastic skills into the bargain."

"And a warrant," Shinichi snapped. "How do you plan to explain Kuroba Kaito's miraculous disappearance from the room?"

"A clothes swap and some sleeping gas," Kaito responded, only because Hakuba had by now left the room. He knew that the second that Hakuba was absolutely assured that Kuroba Kaito was free, there would be cuffs around his wrists faster than you could say "no shit, Sherlock", and was only going along with things thus far because this was the only chance to save Shinichi's life, and he didn't want the fellow detective's death on his conscience. No, the best trick was to knock Shinichi out to give him some plausible deniability, and hope that their strong resemblances would protect him- if they examined him and found Kuroba Kaito's bullet wounds all over him, Shinichi was toast, and the detective didn't deserve that.

"We shall have a short window of opportunity," Akako murmured. "I trust _you_ can ensure that the door will not open before we want it to. The doctors will make their way up here as soon as it registers that a patient's monitors are failing quite dramatically."

"Awww, just let me hotwire 'em so they don't set off any alarms," Kaito said, setting to work on the breathing machine, trying to ignore the literally suicidal aspect to what he was doing. He'd never killed anything before, least of all himself. But it was the only way to save Shinichi.

"Kaito, _stop_!" Shinichi demanded. Kaito ignored him. Toichi shook his head at the angry teen.

"He's determined now, and Nakamori knows that nothing can stop him when he's truly determined," he pointed out wryly. "In any case, calm down. Think about this logically. It _is_ a relatively sensible solution. Both of you will have a body, ones that resemble each other enough to resume your lives- or yours, at least, I'm sure Kaito's is quite out of reach," he added sadly. "But neither of you have to die. I'm sure it will comfort Minami to know that he's out there alive _somewhere_. It will be easier for the pair of you to focus on dealing with _them_."

"I know," Shinichi said resignedly, watching a heart monitor begin to silently flatline. The body didn't so much as twitch- already long gone. This only finalized Kaito's death, one that had been long coming. Still, it felt as if he were condoning a murder- _Kaito's_ murder, no less. That thought made him more uncomfortable than anything else.

Akako placed a slim white hand over his mouth, on his throat, checking for breath or pulse. Then she repeated the motions, this time chanting something under her breath. Shinichi thought he saw something dark slip from her hand into Kaito's body's mouth. She drew the bedcovers back from Kaito's body, opening the hospital yukata to reveal pale, scarred flesh, some wounds significantly fresher than others. She continued chanting, drawing red sigils on his chest with her fingertips. For a moment Shinichi feared that her unsettlingly long nails were cutting him, but then he realized that it was red light, floating millimetres above his chest.

Her chanting grew louder, though it was no language Kaito recognized. There were some words or phrases that seemed like Latin, but Kaito knew quite a lot of Latin- it made it easier to learn most European languages- and he still couldn't figure out what she was _saying_. Prior knowledge of Koizumi told him that he didn't _want_ to know.

Then his eyes snapped open and his body sat up.

He did a quick double-take from his body to Shinichi, but the Reikai-tantei was still floating transparently with his father, both looking similarly perturbed at his body's motion. Looking closer, the eyes were glazed and utterly vacant; in fact they didn't even have irises, just blank expanses of white, just like the bad zombie movies. When his body got up, it was stiffly, robotically, with any limbs or joints not currently in use dangling limply like a puppet's. It was very, very creepy.

"Kudo-kun," Koizumi said, wiggling her fingers a little and smirking proudly, "Now is the time. There's a lot of dark power in that body. You should be able to bind it to your own power."

"I barely know how to _use_ my own power, let alone yours," Shinichi said, floating towards Kaito's body by inches. It was visibly unnerving him, and Kaito didn't blame him. _He_ didn't want to get near it, and it was _his_ body.

"You'll be able to feel it, trust me," Koizumi said, making Kaito's body step woodenly towards Shinichi, which actually freaked him out enough to scoot another foot away. "I'd say you're quite powerful, to control as many ghosts as you do, and to do it without really knowing what you're doing means that your instincts are clearly good. Besides, this _is_ Kuroba-kun's body. You've got Lady Luck slipping you all the cards here."

"Try, Shinichi," Kaito urged him. "What else have either of us to lose?" That seemed to steel Shinichi somewhat; he nodded, then reached out experimentally towards the body. In a flash of black (should black be able to flash?) Shinichi was gone. Kaito's body- Shinichi's body, now?- jerked, eyes falling closed. Then Koizumi dropped her hand, and it slumped to the ground.

"Shinichi!" Kaito called in concern, dropping to his knees by the prone form and propping it up. It was a curious sensation, looking this close at his own face. He was expecting to see the inverted image that he used to see in a mirror, so everything seemed backwards.

Then he felt a slight breath rush in, out. And again. And again. The body under his hands was warming. The soul within it had settled, and was forcing it back to life.

Shinichi opened his new eyes- a lighter colour than his old deep blue, something that was purple in the right light. Those eyes flickered over his new body, then up to Kaito, then to the arms holding him in a rather close embrace. Kaito just grinned cheekily, but respected the detective's personal space and backed off a bit, allowing him to try standing under his own power. He ended up having to request a hand up from Kaito, blushing but only very slightly. Poker Face was so ingrained to Kaito's body that the violent flushes which Kaito had noticed tended to take hold of the detective when embarrassed couldn't rise as easily. Too bad, since they were kinda cute.

"Geez, your body's kind of wasted," Shinichi said, voice dry and thin from weeks of disuse and dryness. He winced and clutched at his stomach. "The wounds have been stitched up, healed a bit, but they still feel pretty tender… Muscles have atrophied quite a bit…"

"I'll have to get you to join in my gymnastic workouts," Kaito said encouragingly. "Trust me, in my body they'll be nowhere near as hard as they look, especially since I'm only doing the lighter stuff in your body."

"More importantly," his father said, having slipped through the wall and was now returning, "your friends are on their way back, Hakuba in the lead. Time to go, Kaito."

"I know." Kaito grinned brightly. "Time to pull my greatest trick; escaping from very literally the jaws of death." Before Shinichi could say anything, not least when and where the hell he had acquired sleeping gas, a blast of pink gas had hit him in the face; Akako was already kneeling primly on the floor, less distance to fall when her own dose was administered, only rolling her eyes when Kaito bowed gentlemanly before spritzing a burst of the stuff in her face. Within a minute (still slow in Shinichi's body: must practice) he was in the hospital yukata, Shinichi kitted out in his own clothes (considerably better clothes than the fashion disaster he had "died" in; good thing Kaito would be hanging out for a bit to keep an eye on the detective's wardrobe choices, which didn't show the same understanding and eye to detail as his deductions). He was out of the window and slipping out down the road, darkening with evening, his father tagging along and keeping an eye out for him. He gleefully imagined Nakamori's shocked cursing, Hakuba's likely attempts to stalk Shinichi (though Kaito knew better than to be seen anywhere near the detective), and his mother knowing that somehow, miraculously, he was alive. And Aoko…

"_I hope you can be more than an illusion. I hope you can be real, some day. If you're reborn, if you get a second chance, don't waste it acting. Spend it _living."

"_I promise, Aoko,_" he thought. "_If it's the only way to make up for how I hurt you… I want to try again, if I can. Maybe I will. But first… _Them."

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As Shinichi had mostly anticipated, he awoke to a considerable degree of swearing. From the soft feeling underneath him, he had been moved to a bed- at first he thought the now-empty hospital bed, but sense told him that they would be tearing its very molecules apart to get some clues on Kid's miraculous escape. Nakamori had apparently been summoned, judging from the fact that the "How"s, "why"s and "what the"s were just occasionally interspersed between the colourful cursing, none of which was in Osaka-ben. Hakuba was also contributing, less colourfully, and Hattori was making it very clear that he had no idea what was going on or any desire to.

Koizumi's voice was also audible; Shinichi wasn't sure if she'd been gassed or not, but didn't find it implausible that she was simply playing dead in either scenario. She was talking soothingly to another female voice, which was engaged on a rant similar to Nakamori-keibu's, but merely featured an abundance of the word "baka" rather than Nakamori-keibu's preferred vegetation-burning terms. He cracked his eyes open, and was not surprised to see that the room was not Kaito's hospital room, and was currently staffed with cops, detectives, and Nakamori's daughter ranting to Koizumi. He was a little surprised to notice that Kaito's vision was sharper than he had been expecting in a body; it reminded him of some niggling worries regarding hereditary eyesight problems and his father's glasses and the possible future need to replace Conan's false frames.

He scanned the room, his awakening unnoticed for the moment, and his eyes alighted on somebody that he hadn't heard, because she was sitting silently by the window. He didn't recognize her, but somehow he instinctively felt trusting of her. It felt a purely physical reaction, and he guessed that she was probably Kaito's mother; some things ran too deep to be replaced. She was pale and a little thin, and still wearing a black dress under her coat, but as she stared out of the window and into the night- he must have been out a while, it was completely dark- there was a soft, loving little smile on her lips.

He recognized that smile; he had caught it, fleetingly, on his own mother's face not long after he had first been reunited with them after Conan happened. Her baby boy was alive, and that brought a part of her back to life as well.

His limbs felt like spaghetti, his head was pounding and his throat felt like stone, but that smile was comforting, not just in her happiness but in the reason; maybe, this way, Kaito _would_ have a chance to stay alive, to return to his life. If they brought down the Black Organization, this would be so huge that Kaito would earn more than a bit of legal immunity, maybe enough to have the Kaitou Kid written off entirely so long as he never returned to his night job. He might have a life, have freedom. The thought was encouraging, and yet another reason to bring the Black Organization down.

"Kudo! Yer up!" Hattori crowed happily, noticing him. "Hey, ya remember anything'?"

Koizumi caught his eye and winked, before returning to her attempts to calm Nakamori Aoko down. Ah, plausible deniability was a wonderful thing.

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He flicked the newspaper thoughtfully. He hadn't recognized the name or face, but both had caused old instincts to kick up in his head. He was too logical to work purely on instincts, but too smart to disregard them entirely. So he just ran a search through the Organization's database. It had turned up worrying results.

One result, one only. A kill, in the listings of human subjects for APTX 4869. The first one, in fact- the first of not many, as the usage and development of the drug had ended when Sherry left. Most of the scientists were geniuses, no doubt, but still they had simply been following her direction and had no idea where to take the research she had left; Sherry was more of a genius than any of them. They needed her back.

Which meant that they needed to find her protector, the one who had saved her in Haido. It didn't take a genius to figure that it might just be one who had been confirmed dead yet had now turned up alive, and one who had been confirmed dead by Sherry, no less. Coincidence?

He was no detective- quite the opposite- but he still deeply disliked coincidence.

The boy's address was in the database as well, but would he still be there? Then again, to be incautious enough to appear in public meant that he probably thought they'd forgotten about him (he had, but that was beside the point), so maybe he would go home. But he must have protection of some sort- perhaps the FBI. Akai couldn't be the only goody two-shoes genius in that outfit.

So, he needed to be drawn out. Secluded. Taken alive. They needed him to find Sherry.

And if he was reluctant to give up the information… so much the better. Gin was the type to hold a grudge against someone for surviving when he tried to kill them. If he was in charge of extracting the information, he could pay the boy back in full.

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_Let the leering begin, __**Teldra**__… next chapter XD_

_The prologue will still turn up later, __**AEC1990. **__As for a physical relationship… well, neither's even thinking about that right now. And yeah, Identity Theft to the max… XDXD_

_I only have 1 exam left, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ :) Yeah, Akako's awesome :D Yep, it's literal body swap… getting their original bodies back, huh…?_

_*Thunder and lightning joins __**Ivan's Kitsune's **__dramatic music*_

_Breaking reality is fun to write, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ :) This is going to work… um… because Akako wants it to XDXD _

_They're both going to live at Shinichi's, __**Lisa Telramor**__, to avoid the whole arrest warrant on Kaito's head. And they're going to have fun :D_

_Nope, it was Akako, __**kaitoushinichi**__… *steals bad thoughts and feeds them to muses* :D_

_That is indeed the point, __**Akemi-chan 815**__ XD_

_Thank you, __**Katara Falcon**__ :) Nobody asks for an Akako Attack, but they're fun anyway :D_

_Hajimemashite,__**OnlyIntuition**__! Glad you're enjoying the fic and KaiShin enough to stick on your caps lock XDXD_

_The latter, pretty much, __**AmaryMei**__ :) WOOT FOR AKAKO!_

_The zombie basically becomes the soul's new body, __**bloddy raptor**__, which is probably pretty nasty if it's already become a bit mouldy. At least, that's how it works here ;)_

_Welcome back, __**tanteigirl69**__ XD Hope you're enjoying this!_

_It's fun, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__ :) And as for Akako, it depends: does she weigh the same as a duck?_

_Glad you enjoyed it so much, __**Cat**__! And as for more frequent updates… well… I'm actually very close to being done writing this. Updates will be more frequent when I've finished ;)_

_Because Toichi is awesome, __**simply anonymous**__ XD Something go wrong? Why on earth would that happen? *insert sadistic author laugh*_

_Saguru should know better than to try to make Akako work with reality, __**Madame of all Manga**__… should. I think Heiji's brain is slowly breaking XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	30. 29:Memories

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine**_

_**Memories**_

"Shinichi! You made it home!"

This cheer immediately precluded an enthusiastic glomping the second Shinichi closed his door, having finally escaped interrogations and ranting and pronounced that he needed to come home, still feeling groggy and weak from the gas. He hadn't been able to hide all of the coma-induced weakness, which luckily had been put down to perhaps getting a stronger dose of gas than Koizumi, or perhaps being a bit allergic. Hakuba had been visibly infuriated by his lack of answers regarding Kid, but he could say no more than Shinichi could without sounding insane, which also was clearly not to the detective's taste. But what could he do?

Shinichi prayed that it was a residual effect of being in Kaito's body that made it so pleasurable to watch the calm detective's temper fray.

He stood stock still for a moment, allowing the happy thief to croon and huggle him happily, before giving some discreet coughs to indicate that if his personal space didn't get any respect soon, _somebody_ was going to get kicked somewhere painful. He was used to a little personal-space disrespect, not to mention manhandling, as Conan, but he wasn't prepared to take it as an adult. Kaito reluctantly let go, still beaming.

"It worked!" he sang happily. "It worked! You're alive! And you got such a handsome body, too!" He said, waggling his eyebrows. Shinichi was uncomfortable seeing such an idiotic expression on his face, but he couldn't deny that they did look as twins; if they had to spend their lives in each others' bodies, there were too few physical differences for anyone to ever really notice.

First things first.

"Priority one: Your body is _empty_," he announced. "I need to get some food."

"I thought so," Kaito said, heading back towards the kitchen. "That's why instant meals are microwaving as we speak. I can cook a little, but cuisine is one area where my luck doesn't tend to hold."

"If it's edible, that's fine by me," Shinichi said, following Kaito with a shrug. He had been attempting to hide the embarrassing rumbles of his stomach since he woke up in the hospital; he had worried that the volume of them would give away the presence of a stomach that had lain empty for several weeks. "Besides, there's a reason I tend to stock instant meals rather than real food. Ran used to come over and cook once in a while, after my parents left, but she always brought supplies with her and extorted the price from me. It's easy to do when you can put your fists through concrete." His stomach rumbled again, not loudly enough to drown out the wondrous _ding_ noise that heralded food. Within a few moments, he was tearing ravenously into the meal, Kaito popping in a second dish with a faintly amused expression.

"So what's priority two?" he asked. "Treating those atrophied muscles?"

"Increasingly curious though I'm growing as to how much your famously elastic muscles can do, no," Shinichi said in between bites. "I need to see if I have any hair gel in my cupboard. I don't know how you stand this mane. Also, be warned. I think Hakuba's going to come snooping around. Hattori too, since he missed his Shinkansen and is stuck here overnight. Hakuba's pissed off that he can't tell anyone where he really thinks you are. Just keep your head down, willya? And if he shows up, let _me_ get it. Where's your Tou-san, anyway?"

"He offered to stand guard against precisely the possibility of Hakuba arriving," Kaito informed him. "He's floating around this place's gates. We'll know if Hakuba turns up, though knowing Nakamori they'll be sweeping the hospital all night… I'm surprised they let you leave."

"I passed off the coma sickness as having gotten too much of the sleeping gas," Shinichi said, grabbing the microwave door the second it _ding_ed again, "so if you're right we might be alright for a while."

"Slow down, you'll make yourself sick again," Kaito said with concern. "I'm guessing you don't feel like sleep, so how about we get up and moving? Trust me, my body's _very_ resilient."

"Gymnastics aside, what do you have in mind?"

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"…What are you doing?"

"I'm _bored_, Shinichi!"

"Kami above…"

Shinichi suppressed the automatic fear urge that had come to be associated with Kaito expressing boredom. The thief had finished guiding Shinichi through a gymnastic workout- Shinichi had found it surprisingly easy, tugs and resistances he had expected from his muscles conspicuously not present though he _did_ feel weak and had little energy. He had managed the near-impossible feat of bringing Kaito's hair to order, and now the pair of them had decided to go digging around in the attic to pull out all of the stuff that Shinichi had locked away to hide from Bourbon, given that the Raven was currently haunting the Mori Detective Agency. Rather than help Shinichi carry boxes of things downstairs, however, Kaito was opening them and flicking through the books or photos that he found inside. He suddenly paused, pulling a heavy-looking book out of a cardboard box and sitting back to read it. It was, to Shinichi's growing worry, an old photo album.

"Awww, is this you?" Kaito said with a grin, indicating a photo of a baby in Yukiko's arms. "Ain't you _darling_?"

"Oh no, it's my _baby_ album," Shinichi groaned, feeling deeply embarrassed as Kaito flicked through the _thousands_ of pictures his mother had taken from his first year alone. The woman seemed to have an innate need to be on one end of a camera or another at all times.

"How _kawaiiii_," Kaito mock-squealed, scratching a close-up photo of his six-month-old face under the chin. "Cootchie-coo!"

"How long are you going to coo at my baby photos?" Shinichi grumbled, refusing to look at the thief or the offending book and instead focusing on a box full of framed photos and trying to remember where on the walls they belonged.

"As long as doing so holds entertainment value," Kaito said, grinning even wider at Shinichi's embarrassment. "Aww, what's the stuffed dog? You're holding it in a lot of pictures," he commented, tapping a small brown soft toy that the baby Shinichi was indeed clinging too in a number of the photographs.

"It was just a stuffed animal that I had when I was a baby," Shinichi grumbled, grateful that while he _felt_ like flushing, Kaito's face was less disposed to show it. "Aren't we supposed to be putting this stuff away?"

"All in good time," Kaito chuckled, flicking through more pictures. "Awwwwwww… hold on a minute." Shinichi looked back as Kaito's tone changed abruptly, noticing the suddenly stony look on the magician's face. He pointed at another photo. "I thought you said she was one of _Them_." Shinichi looked down at the photo and felt a lurch when he saw a young "Sharon Vineyard"- a twin of Chris Vineyard, and with good reason, only with shorter hair- cuddling his baby self with a warm smile, apparently chatting to his mother.

"Sharon Vineyard was a friend of my mother's when they were young… well, when Kaasan was young, anyway," he corrected himself. "Kami knows how old Vermouth is. She knew you, too, didn't she, Toichi-san?"

"Yes, although given my night job I realized what she was long before your parents did," Toichi agreed. He had eventually wandered back inside, given that since both boys were now working largely in the attic there was little chance of Hakuba, should he actually peek into the house from the outside before visiting, seeing the two of them together and deducing that Kaito was hiding out here. "She didn't spend that much time around me after that."

"However, I don't believe she planted any poison in me that takes nineteen years to activate, so it's not really important," Shinichi observed dryly.

"You just lost a terrific chance to change the subject," Kaito commented, turning the page. "Awww, isn't that panda bear footsie _adorable_?"

Shinichi groaned aloud and dropped his head into his hands. Kaito grinned triumphantly, winking at his father as the detective grabbed a box and fled.

The evening went much like that, with the cooing reducing but the teasing not, as they dug through Shinichi's old albums and Kaito _eventually_ got around to putting them away.

It was when Kaito was returning a few old notebooks and personal photo albums to Shinichi's room, having snapped up the box labelled for his room before Shinichi noticed it and thus giving himself an opportunity to poke around (Shinichi had been very insistent that he didn't before, when he was a ghost and always around), that he noticed something brown and soft at the back of a clothes drawer. He pulled it out and grinned to realize that it was indeed the stuff dog of Shinichi's baby pictures; not only that, but it was even more worn than it had been in the photos, had some visible stitching on both of the ears that hadn't been present in the baby pictures, and had been lovingly cocooned in a rather ugly sweater. It had evidently still been much-loved long after being hidden from the camera.

"Kaito, what're you doing in-" Shinichi began, poking his head into the room, and abruptly shut up, paling rapidly as he noticed the toy in Kaito's hands, before his drained cheeks filled up with a very endearing blush, the dog finally achieving what previous embarrassments had not.

"He's even cuter than in the pictures!" Kaito cooed, grinning wider as he saw his father peek in and quickly duck out again with an expression that said "It'll be rude to laugh in front of him so I'm going to laugh somewhere else". "Awww, hey, is this a nametag…?"

"That's- hold on- why were you going through my stuff?" Shinichi sputtered. Kaito just let out a little hoot as he read the nametag around the stuffed dog's neck.

"Sherlock? Oh, that's adorable," he laughed. "You've been a Holmes otaku from birth…"

"Tou-san gave it to me, he named it," Shinichi muttered, going even redder. "Now give him back- ah!"

Kaito grinned as he yanked the dog just out of Shinichi's grasp, seeing an opportunity in (though feeling just a little guilty at) the brief look of panic that flashed through Shinichi's eyes before he could affect nonchalance again.

"No, I think Sherlock wants to play with me now, don't you boy?" he said, tossing the dog a little in a way that looked rougher than in actually was. Shinichi got that brief look of panic again- it was actually pretty cute. Suddenly his face split into one of those manic grins that was more at home on Kaito's countenance, giving Kaito a worrying feeling.

"That's how you want to play it, eh?" he said, suddenly spinning on his heel and leaving the room. Kaito stared at the door, but when he didn't return he shrugged and returned to examining the little dog. It appeared to be a bloodhound, or maybe the cloth was just sagging with age-

He sensed someone behind him a moment too late. Something brushed over his neck, but he didn't stop to figure out what because at the same moment something colourful dropped in front of his face. Colourful and shaped like a-

"AAAAH!" Kaito screamed at a pitch that made the glass in the window vibrate. He jerked backwards, but the bright f-f-f-_thing_ followed him, and it appeared to have friends. He tried to turn and run, screaming all the way, but it FOLLOWED him!

Within about thirty seconds, he was curled up in a foetal position on the floor, hands over his face and whimpering. Shinichi smiled triumphantly and crouched down next to him, having to rely on Kaito's various double-joints to pry Sherlock out of Kaito's stiff, shivering grasp.

"… When are you going to unclip that mobile from the back of his shirt?" Toichi asked, looking inquisitively at his shivering son and the array of black plastic and string that dangled the small, bright fish over his face. Shinichi looked down at his stuffed dog, smoothing a few wrinkles out of his fur.

"I'll leave it for another five minutes," he said, nudging the little plastic fish with one toe. "Sherlock agrees."

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_Sorry this is a day late. I intended to post last night, but stuff happened and I ended up spending the night at a friend's watching Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged (Which I am now addicted to, despite having never watched the anime or read the manga or even touched the friggin' cards… BUT IT'S FUNNY!) instead. Here it is now :P_

_The name of the dog is a bit of a nod to White Mage Koorii's _"Bloodhound" _fic, which is adorable if a little sad. If you've not read any Koorii before, you must! You MUST!_

_Hakuba and Nakamori are both pretty pissed, __**Cat**__… but what can Hakuba do, eh? :P And yeah, Shinichi and Kaito weren't subtle enough about his identity at the last case, so mention of his name has made its way into the papers…_

_It's not Sherry Gin's looking for right now, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__… Alright, I'll fetch the scales, just give me a moment! *finishes tying the rigging around the coconut and lets the swallows go*_

_No, he hasn't been Conan for a while, __**Akemi-815**__. When Kaito got stuck in Shinichi's body, it got stuck on full size, so Conan's been gone for a while._

_Here ya go, __**Teldra**__!_

_They're having fun with the gymnastics, don't worry, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ ;) And yeah, I've seen the chapters, but it looks like there's much more to it… they have to find the serial killer!_

_Gin's on his way, __**simply anonymous**__…_

_Minami and Shinichi won't interact much, __**AEC1990**__, since Shinichi's not pretending to be Kaito. But she's just glad to know her son is alive somewhere :)_

_Yes it is, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__. Yes it is :D_

_But they did, __**bloddy raptor**__. Kaito's insane luck to the rescue!_

_Kaito's just hanging out at Shinichi's, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ ;) Things are peaceful and fun for now, but the Black Org are on the lookout…_

_It shouldn't be this much fun to make Heiji's brain explode, __**Madame of all Manga, **__but__**…**__ XDXDXD Don't worry, Kaito just ran to Shinichi's to wait for him. He kinda didn't want to get arrested, and he knew Shinichi'd be fine ;) I just have one exam, and then I'm officially done with high school forever… _

_Nahh, the police think Shinichi's Shinichi, __**tanteigirl69**__, and that Kaito knocked him and Akako out and did a runner. Shinichi's fine ;)_

_Can't I be both, __**AnniCat**__? XDXD Glad you love it! Here's more!_

_Welcome back, __**AmaryMei**__ XDXD Shinichi could hear the racket because he was in the room… Kaito swapped their clothes and did a runner in the hospital kimono. As far as the police know, Kaito just woke up, gassed Shinichi and Akako, and fled. _

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	31. 30:The Other Side

_**Chapter Thirty**_

_**The Other Side**_

"_Why did I even turn up?_" Eisuke asked himself for the millionth time, standing in front of the entrance to Tropical Land. Sonoko's evil plot had ended up landing him here, instead of the shopping trip she had originally suggested, and Ran was due any minute.

Sonoko had also assured him that they wouldn't awkwardly run into Kudo Shinichi; he was holing himself up in a police station all day, going over some reports of some sort. Which would leave him alone. With Ran. All day. No interruptions.

"Hey, Hondo-kun!"

Eisuke was already flushing as he turned to wave at Ran, who ran up to him, smiling brightly and going a little red herself from the run. She was dressed up very nicely, perhaps a little too nicely for just a day out with friends? Eisuke hoped he wouldn't have to talk much because he knew he was going to stutter, and probably find enough coordination to get his foot in his mouth.

"Sorry I'm a little late," she said as she reached him, waving her phone. "Sonoko called in badly ill. She sounded awfully chipper, though, so I have a suspicion that she's matchmaking again. She did this to Shinichi and I a lot too."

"Ah…" Eisuke said, fidgeting nervously and probably going so red that he was nearing purple. Ran laughed at his reaction.

"Calm down," she laughed. "I came, didn't I? Let's just have some fun as friends. I know I need to relax."

"S-sure," Eisuke said, grinning nervously. "Which area do you want to go to first?"

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"Nosy detective alert, incoming, plural," Toichi said, popping up in the kitchen. Shinichi groaned. His coffee wasn't going to be done for another couple of minutes, and since he'd only just woken up he'd need it before he was fit for human interaction. Kaito wasn't around to deal with it for him- he'd gone to school in Shinichi's place, allowing him to rest up, as despite being in a body that had been asleep for several weeks he was immensely tired most of the time, atrophied muscles and energy stores making it difficult to get used to moving around for long. Shinichi hoped that Hakuba (and probably Hattori; he must have missed his train last night) hadn't dropped by his school and confirmed that he was there first- then again, as they too were playing hooky, they'd probably want to avoid high schools to avoid getting busted.

The doorbell rang as Shinichi stared at the coffee pot, willing it to be done. Groaning again, he headed for the door, willing himself to be at least marginally polite and sociable.

"Hey, Kudo," Hattori greeted him, looking visibly relieved to be around someone not Hakuba.

"Ohayou, Kudo-kun," Hakuba greeted him, blond eyebrows raised. "You look like you just rolled out of bed. Admittedly, Kuroba's hair tends to look like that anyway…"

"I did," Shinichi mumbled, stepping aside and gesturing to invite the other detectives in. "You'll have to give me a moment, I'm not worth talking to between waking and coffee." He headed back towards the kitchen as Hakuba unlaced his shoes, caring less about manners than the tunnel vision dragging him towards his caffeine. Hattori ought to understand- thanks to a few overnights in Osaka, he knew about Shinichi's coffee needs.

The coffee was ready just as he re-entered the kitchen, to some inner jubilation. He poured a cup and began to down it black, suddenly gagging as his taste buds rebelled against the bitter taste. What the hell?

"I'm afraid Kuroba-kun isn't a fan of coffee," Hakuba said amusedly as he entered the kitchen, watching Shinichi spit the mouthful into the sink. "His taste buds tend more towards the ridiculously sweet, I'm afraid."

"Damn," Shinichi moaned. His soul screamed for coffee, his body refused it utterly. "I forgot; not my body. Usual settings do not apply."

"Just when I was thinkin' of rational applications for all this, I see Kudo pukin' out coffee," Hattori said, eyes bugging as Shinichi rinsed out his mouth and cup.

"I've never seen Kuroba at first-thing-in-the-morning, and I'm not entirely certain that he normally needs to sleep, but I'd advise soda of some sort if you need caffeine," Hakuba suggested. "I can't believe I'm talking about this… _body-swapping_."

"We should make a show about it, air it just after _Wife Swap_," Shinichi suggested, then smacked himself on the forehead and began digging around in the fridge to see if he had any cola. Hattori sniggered, but looked surprised.

"Quite," Hakuba said dryly. "I beg of you, Kudo-kun; win the battle of mind over matter. It would be a terrible waste for you to turn into a second Kuroba-kun…"

"Speaking of which, have they found any trace of him?" Shinichi asked, trying a soda and feeling his tongue applaud his wise decision. "I kind of knew he'd bolt after I got into his body- after all, it's not like he wants to get arrested. But I'd like to know where he is. Y'know, _my_ body, after all. I might be stuck in this one, but that was my first and I'm a bit attached."

"I was hoping you knew," Hakuba said, eyeing him critically. Shinichi was mentally prepared for outward signs of guilt, but Kuroba's Poker Face slid into action; he didn't move, didn't twitch, didn't react at all aside from a slight shrug and shake of the head as he took another drink. Kami, he even managed to look Hakuba in the eye. Kuroba was _good_. Even Hattori, who was much better at reading Shinichi, didn't look suspicious.

"No sign of 'im," Hattori said. "We don't think 'e went home; Nakamori-keibu gave 'is okaa-san a lift home and we went with. We turned th' house upside down an' no sign of 'im. We ain't sure where else 'e'd go."

"He's probably got a few bolt-holes here and there from his KID days," Hakuba sighed, leaning against a countertop. "Unfortunately, I feel that it will be very difficult to find Kuroba if he does not want to be found. The media is not aware that he is alive and free, but you can be rest assured that all hell will break loose when it is."

"I'll bet," Shinichi commented, taking another swig of soda and feeling caffeine hit his blood stream. "Okay. You guys want anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"Tea would be lovely," Hakuba agreed. Hattori just shrugged.

"A proper explanation'd also be nice," he said pointedly. "'Bout yer whole _Sixth Sense_ thing."

As if he needed to clarify what Shinichi had to explain.

"There's not a lot to explain," Shinichi said, turning his back to them as he started digging for tea. Kaito had restocked the place recently, but he still couldn't quite remember where everything was. "I see dead people. Always have. Not all dead people- just the ones with, well, unfinished business, I guess. Generally murder victims, who can't go without seeing that their murderer has been brought to justice. The other type I see a lot is people who were buried under the wrong name. For some reason, that seems to be a real sticking point with them, which I can tell you caused _me_ no end of worry while I was Edogawa Conan. The thing that really worried me, though… was, well…" he set the soda bottle down with a heavy sigh. "When I first figured it out, I… I was scared. Not just of the ghosts. It didn't take me long to figure out that nobody else could see them, and up until recently, I didn't think anyone else could… I was scared of being a freak. I didn't _want_ to be able to see ghosts. My detective obsession and grades set me apart from my peers enough as it was, on top of the instant teasing when Ran and I hit grade school and the other kids noticed that we called each other by name. I didn't want to be any _more_ different. For the longest time, I ignored them. I stopped going with Tou-san when he got called out to crime scenes because, interesting though it was, I knew I'd see ghosts…"

"Your father… is he Kudo Yuusaku-sensei? The author of the Night Baron novels?" Hakuba asked curiously. Shinichi nodded. "I've read his work. He'd certainly have to have quite some deductive prowess to write the crimes he does."

"Yes, that was one of the reasons I went as long as I did," Shinichi said, smiling slightly. "I enjoyed seeing the crime solved, like a puzzle. And bodies never bothered me, because I was already very aware that there wasn't a person inside of them any longer. But the ghosts… Tou-san solves cases fast, faster than me, I hate to admit it. The ghosts were never around long. But I just didn't want to see them anymore. I thought, if I didn't see them for long enough, I'd stop seeing them at all; that they couldn't exist. Hey, I was just a kid when I decided that, okay?" he added defensively at their expressions. "I was a kid, and I was scared. These days… I wanted to be a detective so I could catch murderers, so I could lay the ghosts to rest and they'll leave me alone. In some cases… this is trickier than others."

"And you picked up Kuroba when he was shot?" Hakuba questioned. Shinichi nodded again.

"He wasn't meant to survive," Shinichi said shortly, trying to ignore the lump in his throat that came with the words. What was _that_ about? "The machines they hooked him up to kept him alive, but he wasn't meant to survive. His soul split from his body, so I picked up him- and Toichi-san sort of came with the package. A few weeks later, during an antidote trial, there's a mix-up, Kaito got stuck in my body. The rest, you saw at Koizumi-san's house, but I can't say I understand a lot about her. There's your explanation."

"There's our plot summary, ya mean," Hattori snorted. "Do ya know- I mean, why? How? Ya know."

"I wish," Shinichi said, shaking his head. "I don't know why me, I don't know how. As you can imagine, you are among the first people I've discussed this with that have a pulse. I have a feeling that Koizumi-san might know, but I'm not that comfortable with the thought of returning to her house."

"I can imagine," Hakuba said, shaking his head. "I still cannot believe it. Surely there must be some other explanation, but, well, some of the things that have happened over the past couple of days…"

"Let me know if you come up with anything," Shinichi said with a shrug. "I'd _love_ a scientific explanation for all this." Hattori suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Speakin' a' scientific explanations, ya owe one ta Haibara," he said, pointing at Shinichi. "She said she saw weird lights comin' outta yer house, and it looked like furniture had been thrown around, an' objects were _flyin' _after ya…"

"Oh, yeah," Shinichi said, wincing as he remembered. Hakuba stared at him. "Bourbon came after me… when ghosts get _really_ angry, they seem to develop kinetic powers. Maybe they're just too angry to remember that they can't pick stuff up anymore. They rarely get so angry, but for those murdered by the Syndicate, whose deaths have gone unsolved so long… well, when they see a Raven… their rage is hard to contain, and I don't bother. I'm not sure if I could… I can seem to control ghosts, to some extent, but I don't know how much because I don't like controlling them. They're still people, even if they're dead."

"Are any around ya jus' now?" Heiji said nervously, glancing around.

"No," Shinichi lied easily. Toichi had gone to inform Kaito of what was going on, but Akai was still on the premise somewhere, probably with Akemi. He didn't want to start explaining his complicated relationship with the FBI agent. "I've sealed most of them into the Mori Detective Agency, though I'll be moving Conan's stuff out of there soon- he's decided he wants to stay in America with his parents- so I'll move the seal with. By the way, frequent exposure to death seems to give people some degree of ability to sense ghosts. That's what's on the edge of hearing, Hattori, the thing in the corner of your eye. You don't seem to notice anything, Hakuba-kun…?"

"I…" the detective frowned, looking suddenly uncomfortable, as Hattori looked around nervously again. "If I have… I've ignored it. But really, in the vast majority of cases that I've taken, I've been called onto the scene after the death, sometimes even after the body's already been taken away. I've experienced very little death firsthand. However… I _have_ experienced a lot of criminals first-hand. That's why I'm here. The ghosts… are something I'd rather not pry into. What I _would_ like to pry into is what you know about this shadowy organization that murdered Kuroba and his father, and I'm assuming more than a few others. Theft I detest, but murder is simply inexcusable- and I get the feeling that if we find these people, Kuroba will not be far."

"Hey, _I _wanna know a bit more 'bout them ghosts," Hattori interjected, "but the BO comes first. I can't hang 'round Tokyo too long without Kazuha an' my folks handin' my ass to me, but I figure now ya can start collabin' with the cops on this- an' this prick here, I s'pose."

"Your faith is touching," Hakuba snorted. "But yes, I want in on this case. I went back to Kuroba's records after the debacle at the hospital and there is an impressive amount of untapped information there. I'm astonished at the implied scale of the organization that Kuroba attempted to take on by himself…"

"He attempted to bring them to the police's attention," Shinichi corrected quietly. "I think _that's_ what the publicity was really about. He made sure there were searchlights and police all over his heists so that if They got in, there was a high chance They'd be caught. I think he knew there was only so much he could do alone. But now…" he leaned forwards, looking Hakuba straight in the eye, watching the other detective's nerves. "If the police are involved in this, we need to be careful about _which_ police, because They have plenty under their thumbs. However, I have a few trusted contacts in the FBI and CIA that I can call on. I know some cops that can definitely be trusted, too."

"Well, well," Hakuba said, eyebrows rising. "This will take some planning…"

"Yeah, but with Kid's information and a few good brains…" Shinichi said, before rubbing his eyes. "But not right now. This body's still coma-starved. I need a little while to relax and recuperate, but I'll talk to some contacts while I'm doing that, connect them to you and Kid's files. Kid stocked up a _hell_ of a lot of aces, but it's _very_ important that only people we can trust see those."

"Obviously."

"Glad to work with you," Shinichi said, reaching out his hand, which Hakuba shook.

"I'll be 'round whenever I can," Hattori promised. "Might bring a few good cops in from Osaka. There ain't a thing goes on in that police force that I don't know 'bout."

"Sounds good," Shinichi agreed. "Sorry I can't help you find Kuroba, Hakuba-kun, but like you said, I'm sure he's after these people too. If we get on their tail, I'm sure we'll run into him."

"Only if he wants us to," Hakuba sighed. "Knowing Kuroba, we'll only find him if he wants us to."

"He can't run forever," Shinichi said softly. "Sooner or later, I'm sure, he'll _want_ somebody to find him."

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_And as of today, I'm free of high school forever :D *Happy dance* _

_Kaito will behave if you keep the fish away, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ XDXD And yeah, but this looks like a fairly long mystery… which had bloody well better segue into some plot…_

_Kaito's maintaining Shinichi's life for a bit, __**Cat**__, unbeknownst to Heiji and Saguru…_

_I don't think Shinichi'll let you have his beloved Sherlock, __**csiphantom**__… XDXDXD_

_What, __**SoftcoreOtaku?**__ I don't knooOOOAAW! *is flung into chasm of doom* I'm addicted to YGO TAS now, yes XD I especially like Florence and Marik, but Seto Kaiba's my favourite single character because he is SO UNBELEIVABLY BADASS _

_You are forgiven, __**desperatembrace**__, since you're reviewing now ;) That scene was a lot of fun to write, glad you enjoyed it ;)_

_So did I, __**bloddy raptor**__ XDXD_

_Everyone loves fluff, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ :)_

_I hope you did well on your exam, __**Madame of all Manga**__ ;) I had my last one yesterday. I know what you mean about your friends, many of mine are younger than me and they're back at school this week while I'm not. Ah well… that's what Facebook's for XDXD_

_I so wish I had those baby pics, __**Teldra**__ :)_

_The Black Org will strike soon, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__… until then, the Detective Inquisition comes first…_

_Don't worry, __**simply anonymous**__, I could never bring myself to kill off Kaito… again… XDXDXD You're welcome!_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	32. 31:Revelation

_**Chapter Thirty-One**_

_**Revelation**_

"Have I got news for you," Kaito sighed the second he got in the door. He'd insisted on attending the rest of the week's worth of school for Shinichi so he could recuperate, but spending the entire day acting a well-behaved student took a clear toll on him; every day, when he got back in the door, his arrival was generally heralded by confetti, doves, or a change in the colour of Shinichi's hall wallpaper, and by the time he collapsed with a longsuffering sigh on the swivel chair in the library, he had already managed to muss up his hair, vanish his tie, coat and bag, and locate chocolate (he had to eat extremely dark chocolate to compensate for his refusal to touch coffee). He came to the library because Shinichi was generally in there, phoning contacts or going over plans and notes; the room had become sort of his base of operations. Even if he had nothing to do in there, he tended to wander in by mid-afternoon anyway, just because Kaito would come in when he got home and he'd be able to update him while he was polishing off his black chocolate.

As it happened, Shinichi _did_ have something to do that day, but he looked up from the map of an underground tunnel network that he was attempting to correspond to a map of Tokyo (Kaito had apparently made the map in the aftermath of stealing something called "Blue Birthday"; certain tunnels had been closed off as a result of that heist, but he'd found most of the rest) to show that he was paying attention to whatever was so interesting. Kaito swallowed a chunk of chocolate and then nodded at Shinichi.

"Ran seems to be getting over missing her Conan-kun," he said, referring to the calls that Shinichi had placed a few days earlier, after a surprisingly quick mastery of Kaito's versatile vocal chords. The detective was quick at mastering anything he set his mind to, like Kaito. "She spent most of the week commenting about how she missed him all the time, but clearly she's getting over it with the help of a new comfort source in her life."

"… Who?" Shinichi asked, half-knowing the answer.

"She's been meeting Hondo every day after school," Kaito responded, "at this coffee shop. Just chatting, but it seems yesterday he also walked her home and ended up hanging out, doing homework together. Seems that Sonoko got them set up to spend a day at Tropical Land together last weekend- the same day you got Necromanced- and they're talking about going somewhere this weekend, too. Just hanging out, but just hanging out a _lot_, you know? And she tells him as much as she tells Sonoko or "Shinichi"."

"I see," Shinichi said, looking down again.

"And she's smiling," Kaito added quietly. "When she's talking to him, she's always smiling. When she talks about him, she never gets upset. I've been avoiding passing comment on it too much, but…"

"No, I'm glad for her," Shinichi said, and was surprised to realize that he really meant it. Hearing that Ran was smiling was like a weight lifted off his shoulders; she wasn't hurting anymore. It was a relief, both of worry and of guilt. "I really am glad. I just want her to be happy, and if she is…"

"And what about you?" Kaito asked. "Are _you_ happy?"

Shinichi looked up in surprise at that question, but quickly locked it down again. "I'm happier for knowing she's well. And I'll be all the happier when this case is closed." He grinned, just to prove it. "Thanks for asking, but I'm actually fine. Really. What about _you_?"

Kaito blinked and stared at him. "What _about_ me?"

"How are you doing?" Shinichi asked, dropping his pen and leaning forward, propping his elbow up on the desk and dropping his chin into his hand as he stared penetratingly at the thief. "I mean… don't you want to go see your Kaa-san? Aoko-san?"

"I… don't want to see Aoko," Kaito said, looking away. "For one thing, I don't feel like dying again so soon. And for another…" he frowned deeply. "If I see her, I'll want to try to justify or explain myself… and I can't. Not yet. I'll want to make her forgive me, but if she does that… she'll just get hurt again. And I don't want that. Not if she's already managed to let me go. I don't want to see her again until she, at least, has her life all together, and I think it's too soon for that."

Kaito blushed slightly when he looked back and saw that Shinichi was staring at him. Shinichi grinned. Ah, he remembered that curse. "You're a really good guy, you know?"

"Tell that to the Task Force," Kaito laughed. "Like you said, I'll be all the better once all of this is over." Shinichi frowned, but didn't push the matter. Kaito didn't talk too much about Aoko, and seemed to feel guilty whenever he did; at least his worries about seeing her were for her feelings, not his. Shinichi didn't want to see Kaito get any more hurt by his ex-best friend.

"What about your Kaa-san?" he asked, glancing around. "I know that you and Toichi-san worry about her…" he glanced around again, because none of the ghosts were around, oddly enough, not even Toichi. Shinichi had switched to sealing the ghosts into the Kudo Mansion, so normally they were all over the place (sleep wasn't always easy when the room was periodically lit by a spectral glow visible only to Shinichi, but luckily, now that it was mostly recuperated, Kaito's body only seemed to need about four hours a night) but they tended to leave the library alone around the time that Kaito got home, which Shinichi appreciated. He wasn't sure why, but he appreciated it. Maybe he just liked being able to chat just to someone who occasionally needed to pause for breath.

"Well, yeah," Kaito admitted, swivelling the chair a bit and leaning over one of the arms. "I was considering paying her a visit one night soon. Just to chat, assure her I didn't run away and die in a ditch somewhere, that kind of thing. I won't tell her I'm bunking in your spare room," he added, "just that I'm safe. And that I might be back, one day. If I get a pardon for pulling down the Black Org, or when the statue of limitations for major theft runs out. Whichever comes first."

"Hopefully the former," Shinichi snorted, looking down again. "The FBI are intending to stake out these tunnels. We think they connect to pretty much every Organization building that we now know of, and several that we didn't actually know of before…"

"Lemme see," Kaito said, dragging the chair over to lean over the plans. "Are they staking these places out?"

"No, the Organization are too good at catching out cops and FBI watching them," Shinichi said, tapping his pen over the buildings that he'd marked on the map, "but one- well, three- calls from me, and the FBI, CIA and cops will Blitzkrieg every one of these places. Or in a pinch I can call Hakuba-kun, and he'll make the calls."

"How do you work so well with Hakuba?" Kaito said, nonplussed, staring at the meticulous plans that he had been helping Shinichi make every evening, all of which were now being drawn together in an elaborate master strike to shame Danny Ocean- and, given which side of the law it was coming from, arrest him while they were at it.

"I _don't_ actively antagonize him," Shinichi said dryly. "I think he still suspects that I know something about where you are, though. He doesn't come out and accuse me, but he keeps commenting on things like how Aoko-san's doing- quite well, it seems, and apparently she asked Hakuba-kun to go to a Prince Prince concert with her, since she had an extra ticket." He watched Kaito closely for a reaction to this news, feeling relieved when Kaito just nodded.

"She got more concert tickets?" he said offhandedly. "Good for her. The last concert, she ended up having to go with Nakamori-keibu, which she said wasn't much fun. Not that a stoic prick like Hakuba'll be much more fun, I suppose, but hey, each to their own." Shinichi suppressed a little sigh of relief that Kaito didn't seem to be reacting negatively at all to the thought that Aoko and Hakuba were sort of going on a date; his concern for seeing Aoko really did seem to be purely on the basis of her feelings. Kaito wasn't jealous; he must have finally managed to abandon his feelings for her, in a romantic capacity at least. He'd probably always feel guilty for hurting his friend. At least she couldn't hurt him any further now.

"_Ahh, what am I thinking_?" Shinichi thought with a frown, looking sharply down at the plans and praying he wasn't blushing as he realized that he was staring at Kaito. It wasn't an unpleasant activity. "_Why is this stupid thief so important? I mean, he's basically become my closest friend in no time at all, but…_"

Shinichi lifted his head, intending to say something to Kaito, but the words died when his nose bumped into Kaito's. They had both been leaning over the plans, getting closer than they'd thought. Shinichi blushed, intending to lean quickly back, but when his eyes locked with Kaito's he suddenly found himself unable to move. They were brilliant blue, the blue that was familiar to him from nineteen years of reflections, but ever since they had become Kaito's they had changed. There was something a little different in them, something a little _Kaito_ in them, something…

… Beautiful…

He wasn't sure which of them had moved. Maybe it was both. But a second later, they were kissing, lips pressed tightly together. Shinichi closed his eyes as the sensation washed over him. He leaned forwards, one of Kaito's hands finding its way into his hair, mouths shifting and beginning to open…

He leaned too far forwards, nearly stumbling against the desk that they were kissing across the top of. Suddenly coming to his sense, Shinichi jerked back, flushing more violently than ever before. Kaito was blinking, more than a bit pink in the cheeks himself, and sporting an expression rather akin to the fish he so feared as he contemplated what had just happened. It was so rare to drive the thief to blush, such a pretty colour-

"Shinichi…" Kaito said carefully, and Shinichi felt a lurch in his stomach, not an unpleasant one, when Kaito said his name. He shook his head rapidly, turning and fleeing, leaving Kaito standing at the table.

He couldn't be thinking about Kaito like that! No _way_! That was _his_ body, anyway, that was totally narcissistic and probably all kinds of wrong…

… But it was _Kaito_ in it, clever, amazing, beautiful Kaito…

He quickly grabbed his shoes and got out of the house, intent on a long walk. He needed to clear his head. No, he couldn't be in love with Kaito. He couldn't!

… Could he?

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Kaito just stood and stared as Shinichi turned and fled, looking just as surprised and confused as Kaito felt. Hearing the front door slam jerked him out of his trance; he dropped back down into his chair, thumping his head down on the plans all over the table, and groaned aloud. He still wasn't entirely certain what had happened or how it had happened, but what was even more confusing was how… _good_ it had felt. How comforting and nice. How _right_…

"Good lord, what the hell was that?" Akai spluttered. There was a slight shift in the air. "I can't ask him, he's freaked out and wants his head to himself. He's blocked me again. Glad you can't."

"Oh, hush. Well, that went well," he heard his father sigh. Kaito turned his head slightly to stare incredulously at his father's spirit.

"Is it just me or did you half-expect that?" he said, eyebrows shooting up as his father shrugged.

"I noticed that the friendship developing between Kudo-kun and you was more than I'd ever seen you have with anyone, even Aoko," he explained, "and whether that would turn into real affection I didn't know, but as a Kaitou I anticipated all outcomes. Couldn't really plan for them, of course. This kind of thing is rather up to you."

"No, no, no," Kaito groaned, punctuating his moans by thumping his head gently off the table. "I can't be in love with Shinichi. I can_not_."

"Why not?" Toichi said inquisitively. Kaito looked up again. Akai was also staring incredulously at the phantom, but Toichi was wearing an expression of pure, innocent curiosity. That wasn't saying much given that he was one of the only ghosts capable of controlling the visibility of his emotions, but Kaito still sighed and took the bait.

"Because he's a _guy_," he elaborated, "and if I wasn't in love with Aoko- well, breaking up a friendship should _not_ be allowed to hurt _that_ much. No _way_."

"I'm as sure that you were in love with Aoko-chan as I can be without having actually lived in your head," Toichi said in an amused tone, "but that just means that you're bisexual. Or your affections are based on purely emotional links rather than physical ones, which is not a bad thing. But I've been watching how the relationship between you two is developing, and there's definitely some strong affection there."

"No way…" Kaito said distantly, but he couldn't deny what his father was saying. He _did_ feel closer to Shinichi than he had to anyone since his father's death, closer than he was to Aoko; he had hidden so much of himself from her, and while he could say it was for her sake, for the sake of their friendship, had they been truly close he would never had had to hide a thing from her, whatever the reasons. From the moment of his death, he had been able to hide nothing from Shinichi, and hadn't really wanted to; and Shinichi had reciprocated. In knowing about the ghosts, Conan, everything, he knew more about Kudo Shinichi than even his parents, Hattori Heiji or Mori Ran. He couldn't help feeling pleased that even Ran didn't know Shinichi as well as he did, that there were parts of his soul that were Kaito's, and Kaito's alone-

"Oh, no," he groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I am. Kami above, I _am_… and I think I just blew it…"

"No, you didn't," Toichi said soothingly, dropping to his son's side and hovering a hand over his shoulder, the closest he could get as a ghost to a comforting touch. "He was just shocked and confused, like you. Once he's had a chance to calm down, he'll be back. After all, if anyone can spot the evidence, add it up and come to the right conclusion, it ought to be the Heisei Holmes, eh? And trust me, if he doesn't deal with this properly and hurts you, he _will_ get cursed for a dozen generations."

Kaito gave a short bark of a laugh, all he was capable of in the wake of a sudden, painful fear that had gripped his heart in an icy fist- a feeling he recognized, from when he had heard Aoko speak, from his father's death, a fear of reliving those moments where he lost those who were most precious… "Tou-san?" he said in a small voice, like a child seeking comfort. "What'll I do… if he _doesn't_ come back?"

"Go after him," Toichi said with a wicked grin. "You've stolen some of the most precious jewels in the world. I have little doubt that you can stretch those skills to stealing something _truly_ valuable."

"The Tantei's Heart heist," Kaito laughed. "This'll take some planning!"

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"Vodka. It's me."

Vodka cracked an eye open at the familiar voice, and then smiled grimly. So, they'd found him.

"Vermouth," he greeted the (male?) nurse who was peering at his chart. "Where are the FBI agents?"

"I promised I'd keep an eye on you," the nurse said in a smooth female voice, wandering up the side of the bed towards him, "while the FBI investigate a bomb threat downstairs. They think we've found you."

"Haven't you?" Vodka said with a frown. "Why else are you here?" Then he gasped as he felt a needle slip into his inner arm, sending some kind of cold fire down his veins. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe.

"Because I can't have you outing **Cool Guy**, can I?" she whispered over his ear. "Dear me, Gin's suspicious enough of Bourbon's rantings. I don't want to give him anything else to think about. So I'm afraid you've been murdered by a man in black who knocked out some poor nurse as he ran through the room, murdering a patient. I'm sure you'll understand soon enough; I can't have you exposing one of us."

Vodka tried to gasp for air, but he couldn't. Everything was fading, but at the same time something else was taking over…

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_Internet, how I've missed thee! Holy crap, how long was I out? XD My computer was hit by something called "Antivirus System Pro", offering "Powerfull PC Protektion". Spam. It prevented me accessing the internet by claiming that every website ever was infected, then stopped me accessing any other programs on my computer by claiming that every file and application ever was infected, and continually prompting me to "buy the software". After over a week of the computer guy continually rescheduling, he finally turned up, spent about twenty minutes clicking away and everything was all better. I don't know what he did, but he's a genius _ _ Aaaand now… I'm back! With KaiShin kissing! It's a good day :)_

_I think Sonoko just counted on Shinichi not randomly deciding to go to Tropical Land, __**Cat**__ :P Yep, Kaito has the inverse taste problem to Shinichi… and yes, Hakuba does still want to arrest Kaito, as does Nakamori. He's prioritizing the BO, but that doesn't mean he's letting Kaito off the hook._

_Hakuba's helping out Shinichi here, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__, but Kaito still registers as a criminal to him, so if he gets a chance to arrest him he will. Akako likes to watch the fireworks, mostly; she helped out before in the hope of getting into Kaito's good books, and probably to get a chance to play with Necromancy XD_

_I'm glad you enjoy it so much, __**Milky Etoile**__, and thanks for reviewing! ;) Kaito's such a bad influence on Shinichi… and the universe… XDXD_

_Mmmm, pet KaiShin… mind if I hijack your fantasy, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__? XDXD This arc really is long, I just wish it was plot-related… wait! Maybe it is! The old lady's the BO boss! IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! (No it doesn't…) Of course Shinichi lied to them, he doesn't want Kaito to get arrested, and the true extent of his relationship with Kaito has not been revealed to Heiji and Saguru. _

_Plot is always good, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__ ;)_

_I don't like coffee or anything either, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__, which means I never get caffeine in the morning… I never wake up until about 11am or so XDXD Glad I don't have to get up in the morning these days. Yay for unemployment! IN AMERICA! XD_

_Pretty well, __**bloddy raptor**__ :)_

_Thanks, __**Katara Falcon**__- good luck with your exams!_

_Glad you like it, __**OnlyIntuition**__! ;)_

_Thanks, __**Teldra**__! Here's more!_

_So you're done by now, __**Stalker of Stories**__? ;) I don't think you've reviewed, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) This story took a lot of figuring out and I'm still figuring out some of it, but I'm glad it works ;)_

_Poor Shin-chan, eh, __**Madame of all Manga**__? XD It's nice to be free of school, but kinda sad…_

_Kaito's been shown to have a fixation on sweet things, __**simply anonymous**__, and while I don't know if it's canon that Shinichi likes extremely black coffee, but it definitely seems to be fanon, so yeah… XD Yeah, they're just as weirded out as you are XD_

_I'm sure Kaito would make a very interesting housewife, __**AmaryMei**__ XDXD _

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	33. 32:Funeral

_**Chapter Thirty-Two**_

_**Funeral**_

Shinichi had run his hands through his hair so much that he had dislodged all of the gel and it had reverted to its natural messy mane. He ended up walking along the path along the banks of the Teimuzu, for the peace, tranquillity, and single road which didn't require any concentration to follow. He needed all of his mental capabilities to analyze that kiss, break down every instant of it and the feelings around it, and find a conclusion that did _not_ point to him being in love with Kuroba Kaito.

Unfortunately, no matter how he looked at it, there was only one truth. Somewhere along the line, his friendship, his _brotherhood_ with Kaito had evolved, his feelings growing far stronger than he'd intended them to.

He couldn't lie to himself- he had _liked_ kissing Kaito. He had liked the physical contact as much as he liked the emotional security of being with Kaito. No matter what they were doing, no matter how often he insisted that the thief was an idiot of the highest calibre, Shinichi just couldn't deny that he always enjoyed being with Kaito, whether they were going over Black Organization information, cleaning up his house, doing homework together, or just hanging about in the library, shooting the breeze and arguing about whether Holmes or Lupin were better. Kaito relaxed him, made him forget about all of the worries and fears that he'd carried for so long, even if only for a little while. There were no secrets with Kaito, no apprehension or worry. He was never hesitant or afraid to tell Kaito _anything_.

He was afraid now. What a baka. He'd turned and run when Kaito had tried to say something; what if Kaito thought he hated him now? Or worse, was completely disgusted and wanted to know what the hell had come over Shinichi? After all, he was still more or less on the rebound from his feelings for Aoko. Shinichi had managed to let go of his feelings for Ran with Kaito's help, let them drop back to feeling about her like a sister rather than anything more, but what if Kaito hadn't let go of his feelings for Aoko? He probably wasn't even gay or bi or whatever Shinichi was now. He couldn't really think about it in those terms; this was _Kaito_, and the person he was was what was so enticing to Shinichi, not his body (which was Shinichi's _anyway_, and in any case Kaito crossdressed so much as to make gender almost inapplicable). The thought that Kaito was still in love with Aoko hurt on many levels: that those feelings were reserved for Aoko, not Shinichi; that Kaito would still be in pain because of those feelings; that those feelings might meant that Shinichi had just freaked Kaito out so much that by the time Shinichi got home he'd have vanished, never to return…

Everything was spinning in his head, and he was starting to feel like talking to somebody. Most of the ghosts weren't much cop on romantic advice, and while he got the feeling that Toichi might have something interesting to say (he always did), surely he'd want to be with his son. He did _not_ want to talk to his parents about this, and Hattori was out too – it would be just too weird discussing his having a crush on a guy, considering the "just guy love" nature of their friendship. His brain ran through Hakuba, Koizumi and Hondo as "don't know well enough" and Sonoko as "NO HELL NO". There was always Ran, but would that be too weird? Then again, she'd felt comfortable enough about the new status of their relationship to admit that she'd had fun on her day out with Hondo and would probably go out with him again. Wouldn't she be willing to listen to his confused (and edited; ghosts, Kid and the BO could probably be safely removed from the narrative) attempt to break down his feelings for Kaito?

He was seriously considering phoning Ran to see if they could talk when a scream split the air.

"Oh no… NO! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! I THINK HE'S DEAD!"

Shinichi's instincts were now hardwired into Kaito's reflexes, and he seemed to go from the riverbank path to the side alley leading to the main streets without moving or even turning in between. The woman's voice seemed to be originating from behind a back entrance to one of the shops looking onto the street, kinda empty in this part of town at- he glanced at his watch, only just realizing how dark it was- half-eleven at night? Had he really been wandering, lost in thought, for that long?

"_I wonder what they're doing in here at this hour…_?" he thought suspiciously as he opened the door, half-ajar, and instantly noticed the body, blood pooling around a bullet hole to the head. He took a step towards it, and then paused, some sixth sense telling him to check the area first; where was the screamer?

Half an inch behind him, it transpired, before his head experienced a familiar sensation of intense pain, which was then enveloped by darkness.

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Chianti stared down at the young man that she had just clubbed expertly with the butt of her rifle, shaking her head.

"I can't _believe_ that worked," she said, glancing over at Gin, who leaned over to pick the boy up and secure his hands behind his back and a strip of duct tape over his mouth in case he woke up, before nodding at Chianti to pick up his legs so they could carry him to the car.

"Just leave the corpse," he instructed. "We left no evidence, and there isn't even a motive. He was just bait. The police will be focused on investigating that- if anyone does notice us carrying a body around at this hour, they'll assume we were dropping a corpse off, not carrying it away."

"I hit the kid right, he's not dead," Chianti grumbled, climbing onto her bike as Gin slammed the boot on the unconscious youth.

"Not dead _yet_," Gin said dangerously, sitting in the driver's seat. "Though Vodka is, and since that order never went out it wasn't one of us. This brat might know who, if he's working with the FBI. Meet me back at the office. Bring Korn. I'm not taking any chances with this bastard this time."

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Shinichi winced as he drifted back to consciousness. He forced his brain into motion. The sensation was familiar- he'd been knocked out, with some force. Never good. He took a couple of deep breaths, and then opened his eyes. The room kept shifting in and out of focus, and spinning slightly. He also felt a little sick. Really not good. That was probably a concussion.

His arms were also bent at uncomfortable angles, secured behind him and what felt like a drainpipe by something cold and sharp. Metal. Handcuffs? That wasn't good, from any angle. He was pretty sure that even if the police had mistaken him for Kaito, they wouldn't concuss him before arresting him and really wouldn't hold him in what looked, through his fuzzy vision, like a storage room or something…

Things got even worse when he managed to focus enough to realize that someone was in the room with him. A tall figure that started out as a black and silver blur, but solidified into the face of Shinichi's worst nightmares. Right down to the cold, malicious grin.

"Kudo," Gin said pleasantly, or at least his idea of pleasant. He could be speaking after inhaling a blimp's worth of helium gas, Shinichi knew, and it would still be the cruellest, most terrifying voice in the world. "Looks like Bourbon wasn't _completely_ insane. I'll admit I'm impressed that you've evaded us for so long. It couldn't just be the FBI, I don't think- I think, to _really_ avoid us, you'd need help from one of us. Sherry, or another insider… why don't you tell me?"

"I…" Shinichi shook his head, thinking, "_not good. Help. Help me. Kaito…_" "I don't know what you're talking ab-" He cut off with a gasp as Gin drove a powerful fist into his gut. It felt like he was aiming at some point about two feet behind Shinichi, something that he had been informed by Ran was the best way to get maximum damaged out of a punch. He bent over, coughing and choking as he tried to get his breath back. Gin simply stood and watched, a flat expression on his face.

Shinichi raised his head a little as the pain began to fade, coughing a little longer in the hopes of delaying more pain. Behind Gin, he saw it; not Kaito, but the next best thing.

Toichi looked more horrified than Shinichi had ever seen the older man look; he also just caught Akai dematerializing, either to get the other ghosts or Kaito, Shinichi didn't know.

"_Help me,_" he thought, praying the white phantom could hear his thoughts- ghosts had been able to do this pretty easily until he'd gotten stuck in Kaito's body. "_Bring help. Bring Kaito_." Aloud, he wheezed, "Who the hell are you, anyway? Who's "Sherry"? What's-" He was cut off again, his head snapping to the side as Gin backhanded him. Toichi disappeared in a flash of white, but Shinichi heard his fading words.

"Akai's getting the ghosts, I'll get Kaito. Hold on!"

"No _games_, Kudo," Gin said curtly, having heard none of this exchange. "You know very well why you're here. Why else would you have vanished so thoroughly on the day you saw our little blackmailing stunt at Tropical Land? I simply want _answers_, and if you're not going to give them up easily…" He punched Shinichi in the gut once more, the pain doubling as the man's iron fist struck the forming bruises from the last punch. Shinichi, doubling over again, thus had a very good view of the gun that Gin placed against his left knee, at an angle where, if Gin fired it, it would cripple the leg for life.

"_No,_" he gasped, not only fearing the pain. Some part of him still felt like this body was on a loaner. It was _Kaito's_ body, and _Kaito_ would be the one crippled! If Gin fired that, the thief would never be able to trick and dance in the moonlight again…

He had to stop Gin firing that gun. He could handle torture himself, but he didn't want Kaito to get hurt. Some part of his brain was whispering that the logic around this was a little fuzzy, but he was too concussed to care.

"Where. Is. Sherry," Gin said slowly, punctuating each word with a slight prod from the gun and another blow to the face. Shinichi bit his lip as his head snapped back and forth. He had to say _something…_

"Sherry," he said quickly. "Um. That's one of your codenames, isn't it? Look, they never told me their codename, I didn't figure out they were one of you until later, so if, you know, you could give me a physical description or something… and maybe stop hitting me, because head wounds make it kinda hard to think…"

Gin looked Shinichi straight in the eye, gauging his sincerity. Was he going to buy it?

A second later, it didn't matter. The panicked question had bought enough time for Akai to return with nearly a hundred ghosts, many of which Shinichi knew had been personally murdered by Gin. A hundred very _angry_ ghosts.

Gin looked away from Shinichi as behind him, entire crates of Kami-knows-what were levitated by the force of dozens of furious spirits who had just spotted the one who made them that way. When he was distracted, Shinichi kicked the hand holding the gun. The gun was sent spinning away, but Gin just growled angrily, kicking back at Shinichi's arm. It wasn't just his fists that felt like iron.

"_Hurry, Kaito,_" Shinichi gasped in pain as the ghosts let out unearthly shrieks of fury and began flinging the heavy crates at Gin, drawing more operatives into the room, both of whom also fell under attack. The ghosts' anger was more than up to throwing objects around, but with the possible exception of Kuroba Toichi he wasn't too sure that any of them would managed a more delicate manipulation to unlock the handcuffs, and in any case, in their sheer rage, most of them hadn't noticed him. One of those crates, or their contents (various illegal weapons, most of which had something sharp with which to impale rather than bludgeon the target) could hit him at any minute. "_Hurry… help me…_"

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_Help me…_

It was just the barest whisper at the back of his mind. But the second he heard it, the voice was matched by what felt like a blow to Kaito's gut. He gasped aloud, clutching his midsection. It hadn't really hurt, but it had felt like the _ghost_ of pain, like watching a wrestling match on TV and wincing in sympathy whenever one of them suffered something particularly painful.

"Kaito? What's-" his father began, but suddenly he vanished. Kaito blinked at the empty air. Had he been summoned by Shinichi?

Shinichi-

He felt another echo of pain to his cheek and gasped as once more, he heard Shinichi's voice in his head.

_Kaito… hurry… help me…_

"Shinichi," he gasped, just as his father reappeared, looking more frightened than Kaito had ever seen him.

"They've got him!" He cried. "Hurry, we have to help him! Akai went to bring the other ghosts, but they can't get him out of there-"

"Lead me," Kaito snapped, already running. He made a swift detour to the spare room, grabbing his Kid gear. There was only one They it could be. If They had Shinichi, They'd have him in some sort of safe building before They started interrogating him. Backed up by a legion of angry ghosts or no, Kaito didn't think even he could take on one of Their entire compounds. And wasn't the whole purpose of his becoming Kid to lure the cops to the Black Organization?

"Time for Kid to make another debut," he said, throwing his black cloak on over his gear- it was past midnight, dark enough for it. "Lead me to the building. If I start making a ruckus there, I can imagine Nakamori-keibu will be more than ready to move heaven, earth and Their heads to get in after me, no?"

Toichi nodded, but still looked afraid. "Come on. He doesn't have much time."

_Hurry._

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It was past midnight, and Takagi Wataru was just getting a lift back to HQ with his fiancé, Sato Miwako, and discussing the murder they were coming back from the scene of (tramp's body, no evidence, no witnesses. Kudo-kun was incommunicado, but he probably wasn't needed; judging from the tracks up the guy's arm, it had been just another scuffle over drugs, and dealers were generally sufficiently loaded to have guns) when Miwako suddenly slammed on the breaks with a yell of surprise. Wataru also yelped as his head nearly hit the dashboard, jerking up just in time to see why Miwako had braked; to avoid hitting the dozens of fireworks that were dancing up and down the road. Many others had stopped, both in cars and on the pavement, to stare at the spectacle.

The spectacle that was moving up the road, following, Wataru noticed, a shining, white-clad figure running along the rooftops at the roadside, dancing and leaping as if he was flying, like a ghost or spirit, which up until recently Takagi would have thought he was. A white figure that he, like the shocked Tokyo citizens around him, hadn't thought would ever reappear.

"I thought Nakamori-keibu said he'd _died_!" he gasped. Miwako, always a police officer, was already on her CB, putting out the word. The response was;

_Everyone free follow the thief. Kaitou 1412 may be followed or targeted by dangerous criminals. Follow and detain Kaitou 1412 or any suspicious figures following him._

"Which means that we're invited to the party too," Miwako said, checking her sidearm and gesturing to Wataru to stick the siren on top of the roof. "I don't know what's going on, but this looks too good to miss!"

Wataru grinned a little nervously, and then grabbed the ceiling grip.

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Kaito grinned humourlessly as a procession of squad cars, sirens and lights blaring, formed behind him. Good. He'd have a law-abiding audience to the Black Organization.

"We're near," Toichi said, his white spirit racing ahead of Kaito, who just nodded in response. He'd already known. He could _feel _it. Maybe Shinichi's soul was resonating with his body, somehow, or maybe it was vice-versa and Kaito's body was resonating with his soul.

Or maybe because it was just that it was Shinichi. Kaito had to find him. He _had_ to. How the hell was he going to figure out what the hell was going on between them without the greatest deductive mind on the planet to help?

Then he saw it. Even before his father gestured towards the building, he knew. Shinichi was there.

"_I'm coming, Shinichi,_" he promised. "_I'm coming…_"

"What you seek is on the tenth floor."

Kaito nearly gave himself whiplash, he changed speed and direction so fast. His father had also bounced right back towards him like a yoyo, staring at some figure in the shadows whom Kaito, no longer possessing Ghostly-SuperVisiontm, couldn't yet see.

Then she stepped into the moonlight, and Kaito instantly recognized the woman that he'd first seen after Tarumi's murder. The platinum-blonde hair and ice-blue eyes were as distinctive as the predatory smirk as she swayed towards him, the shadows trailing behind her oddly, as if they were clinging to her and loathe to let go.

"Vermouth," Kaito greeted her, politely but coldly, at the same moment that his father narrowed his eyes on her- and the strangely shifting shadows behind her.

"Sharon," he said. Vermouth nodded at both of them.

"Kaito-kun, Toichi-sensei," she greeted them, to not a little surprise from both, who maintained their identically polite, stiff stances, though Toichi's was about five feet higher in the air. "I'm glad you finally know. Snake's been leading you a merry dance, but it's not my place to interfere in his work."

"Snake?" Kaito said, his throat tightening. "_He's_ the one who took Shinichi?"

Blonde eyebrows arched inquisitively. Something flickered behind her eyes, something that only a master of Poker Face could have noticed. Surprise? "**Cool Guy?** So they have him? Forgive me for being out of the loop, I was… busy today. Well, I do hope you find him too. Evening, boys…"

"Hold on," Kaito said sharply. She paused, glancing over her shoulder with a little shake of her head that flipped a sheet of hair out of the way in a typically beautiful, elegant movement. Part of him wanted to know what she'd been talking about in the first place, but there was another question that _had_ to be asked. "You're like Shinichi, aren't you? You see ghosts."

"Oh, yes," Vermouth replied. "To be horribly cliché, I see dead people. Always have. Why do you think **Cool Guy's** so interesting?"

Kaito could think of a lot of answers to that, but before he could respond, his father asked, "Why do you work for Them, Sharon? They _make_ so many ghosts…"

"**A secret makes a woman a woman**," she said with a wink, "but for what it's worth… take it as the reason that I'm not really interested in doing so any longer. Among other things." With that, she slipped away again, followed by black shadows (ghosts? People she had killed?), just as the sirens grew loudest. Kaito glanced over the edge of the building, cursing as he saw police officers getting out of their cars. He needed them to follow him just a little further!

"Trust me, Kaito," Toichi said, "You can spend a lifetime- or deathtime- wondering about that woman and still never know a thing. Right now, our priority is Shinichi-kun, right? And maybe whatever's on the tenth floor."

"Got it," Kaito said, setting off more fireworks and heading for the building. It looked like a normal office block, nothing evil about it at all.

Kaito's job was illusions. He was ready to shatter this one as easily as he'd shattered Jii's mirror coat, the day all this had begun...

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_Happy birthday, Kai-chan! Normally I'd write something, but with all that's been going on… I'll just give you early APT instead. Yeah, shit just got real here. ;) Also, I've seen a lot of new names in the reviews… I guess Yaoi Kissing really draws the lurkers out, eh?_

_I'm not sure if the BO and Vermouth have so many common interests, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__… ;) I still can't figure out the trick yet… I never can._

_Yes they did, __**Mesonoxian**__, first of the horde of lurkers to turn up in reviews as a response to the kiss! XDXD_

_Glad you love it enough to review, __**Static Messenger**__ ;)_

_You're welcome, __**Shingo-sama**__! ;)_

_Thanks, __**crayontesla**__ ;) regular scans and having two or three reliable antivirus programs is always a good plan. Here's some plot, and some Vermouth Ambiguity__tm__! XD_

_Who doesn't love a bit of KaiShin snogging, __**Kayla Edogawa**__? ;) XDXD_

_Glad you love it, __**Madame Of All Manga!**__ I know what you mean about sunburn… Scottish complexions FTW! From pasty white to third-degree burns in a flash of sunlight! XDXD But KaiShin fluff heals all ;)_

_Glad I made your day, __**OnlyIntuition**__ ;) Toichi is awesome like that. Oh, and does this count as "too bad"…?_

_You didn't hurt yourself during your happy spaz, did you, __**kaitoushinichi**__? XDXD My fanfic is safe, thanks to the wonders of a backup drive XD And that description of the KaiShin Army is… totally appropriate. (As someone who was totally against non-canonical relationships and wasn't a fan of yaoi prior to reading "Chatty Plunnies"…)_

_Danny Ocean was the mastermind of "_Ocean's Eleven"_, __**bloddy raptor. **__Probably twelve and thirteen too, I just haven't seen the sequels. He's an evil genius :D And yep, this could be considered narcissism gone crazy… XDXD_

_I can drag myself out of bed if absolutely necessary, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__… but only if MY VOICE GIVES ME SUPER STRENGTH! XDXD_

_The price… will appear later, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__. I love making Vermouth insanely ambiguous _

_You'd be amazed at what Vermouth knows, __**simply anonymous…**__ They'll deal, it'll all be good. Trust me ;)_

_Romance FTW, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__! ;)_

_Glad you enjoy all of my brain matter, __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__. It clearly gets better once it gets out of my head :P Stay tuned!_

_Heya, __**tanteigirl69!**__ Glad you like ;)_

_Iiiiii'm back, __**Cat**__! And who doesn't love Vermouth? They'll only be able to move on with their lives if they get to KEEP their lives… Toichi is awesome ;) Yukiko and Yuusaku, eh…?_

_Sometimes, caps lock is just not enough, eh, __**AmaryMei**__? XD Ahh, it shouldn't be so fun to mess with poor Akai… I think by this point this is officially an AU fic XDXD If you can cackle to beat Akako and Nuriko put together… I don't think my recovering computer can take it, poor thing…_

_The boy's got bigger priorities right now, __**Sailor Silver Rose **__ XDXD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	34. 33:Grave Danger

_**Chapter Thirty-Three**_

_**Grave Danger**_

Gin ducked and rolled under another volley of butterfly knives, aimed at his head, looking around wildly. Korn had already received a particularly nasty blow to the head from an RPG launcher (not loaded, thankfully) and Chianti was currently being forced to use her rifle to swordfight with another rifle as various lethal weapons were whipped around the room by an unseen force.

Normally, this storage room was good for interrogating people, as the pipe that was good for chaining people to always had a careful radius kept around it so that the victim couldn't reach any of the crates, and the… _interrogator_ could easily reach any method of interrogation that took their fancy.

That was before some kind of goddamned psycho psychic got locked up in it. Gin was starting to think that Bourbon's babbling about a "mysterious power" protecting Kudo wasn't so insane after all. Though if the number of weapons that barely missed the cringing detective were any indication, the "mysterious power" wasn't paying him too much attention right now.

Well, whatever Kudo was doing, Gin doubted he could do it dead. Sherry be hanged (which, frankly, was the most she could hope for if Gin got his hands on her), it was time to neutralize Kudo once and for all.

Cursing as the flock of knives sliced into his arm as he just missed a dodge- but it was just his right arm, it was fine- he grabbed one that had gotten lodged and lunged at Kudo.

The detective yelled and jerked to the side as Gin's knife slashed towards his throat, but there was only so far he could go, still handcuffed to the pipe. He attempted to duck another swipe, aimed at between his eyes, but then he was struck on the head by a magazine that had been aimed at Gin's head with considerable force, and he'd only managed to duck by a fluke. Kudo slumped, blood trickling from between his eyes. Gin grinned and raised the knife, intending to lobotomize the teen before anything else happened.

"Shinichi!"

Too late. For the second time that night, Gin had to re-evaluate his definition of "all hell breaking loose" as smoke and fire filled the room, and Kudo vanished from beneath him.

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"Nakamori-keibu?" Saguru said in surprise as he answered the phone. "What's going on?"

"_It's Kid! He's reappeared on a street in Haido! We're in pursuit now!_"

"He's _what_?" Saguru yelped in surprise, drawing a stare from Aoko, who had come over for some help with a senior project. She had dropped the ball a little more with her schoolwork than she'd admit during her absence, and had come over most days for a bit of help catching up. "Where?"

Nakamori quickly rattled off where he'd been seen and the direction he'd been going, before hanging up, clearly over-excited to be back in pursuit of his favourite quarry. Saguru stared at the phone for a long moment.

"Hakuba-kun? What's happened?" Aoko said suspiciously. "What was Otou-san saying?"

"Kuroba," Saguru croaked, still in shock, before collecting himself and redialling. All he got at the Kudo Mansion, however, was an answering machine. Same on Kudo's mobile, and that definitely wasn't right. Kudo had sworn to be in contact at all times, and frankly, given that he was still in a period of recovery, it was highly unlikely he'd be leaving his house at this time of the evening. Something was very wrong. And if Kuroba had decided to reintroduce the city to his very special, personal brand of mayhem…

Well, better to be safe than sorry…

"Jodie-san?" he said, after dialling for the third time. "It's Hakuba Saguru. We were introduced by Conan-kun a few days ago. I think we may have an emergency. I would advise entering the underground tunnels early…"

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Kaito ended up smashing through a window on the third floor, not the tenth. Shinichi was on _this _level. What was on the tenth floor, he didn't know or care at the time, because Akai and Akemi, both looking a little bright-eyed, led him towards the hidden storage room where Shinichi would be. Kaito would have run into more than a few operatives on the way if they hadn't been distracted by the menagerie of weapons that were flying freely about the floor. The ghosts were angry, and odds were good that all of their murderers were in this building. Kaito just ducked and weaved through knives, guns and odd metal objects that he preferred not to speculate on the purpose of, intent on his goal.

"Shinichi!" he yelled, charging through a door that hung off of its hinges after having been, from the looks of all the wood shards, smashed by a heavy crate. It took him only the barest second to identify Shinichi, unconscious and slumped beneath a man in black with long silver hair and a knife in his hand aimed at Shinichi's head-

Kaito set off several smokebombs, and in the same second breathed fire across the room, catching the special smoke and setting the very air alight, for a few moments. At the same moment, as the silver-haired bastard- Gin, probably- recoiled slightly, Kaito charged across the room, through a gap he'd left in the flames, grabbing Shinichi and snapping the chain on the handcuffs binding him to a pipe with his card gun. Hauling the unconscious detective away, Kaito tried to ignore the two operatives who already lay on the floor- dead or unconscious, he didn't know- and the weapons that burst through the fire towards Gin, trailing flames behind them.

He couldn't control the ghosts. He wasn't sure even Shinichi could, at this point. All he could do was try to shield his would-be boyfriend from the flying weaponry, aided by his father and the Miyano family, who were more mellow than the other ghosts, perhaps due to having spent their deaths watching their daughters rather than seething alone.

"Kaito," Toichi said, chuckling slightly as he popped through the floor. "The police have entered the building. An operative pretending to be a security guard tried to stop him, and, well, I quote… "I have the right to search this building if Kid is in it! That shouldn't be a problem… unless you have something to hide?" Then the guard tried to physically stop them, and one of the women detectives assaulted him, calling it "impeding an officer in the execution of their duty, resisting arrest, and assaulting an officer- what? This is self-defence!"…" he trailed off, still chuckling, as Shinichi laughed a little weakly.

"Sato-san," he said, shaking his head a little and pushing on the arm that Kaito had flung around his shoulders in an attempt to stand up.

"Hey, Shinichi, careful," Kaito said, helping him up, trying to ignore the sudden realization that that pressure had brought on- namely, that he had his arms around Shinichi. "I think you've just gotten two head injuries in not a large space of time…."

"You have a hard head, I'll be fine," Shinichi said, giving Kaito a reassuring grin that made his pulse leap.

Crap. He'd fallen hard, hadn't he?

"Let's move upstairs," Shinichi said, rubbing a bit of blood off of his forehead, glaring at the metal cuffs still clinking around his wrists (Kaito promptly vanished them) and looking around for stairs. "I feel like it would be a poor repayment to you for rescuing me to let you get arrested, and anyway… it feels like something… _odd_ is up there…"

"The tenth floor," Kaito remembered. "I saw Vermouth on the way here… she's like you, by the way. And she said… there's something on the tenth floor. Something I was seeking…"

"She did, huh…" Shinichi said thoughtfully. "Weird though the woman is, I'm not sure she was lying… she has more fun telling half-truths and watching you explode trying to figure out the rest. Come on…"

"Shinichi, are you sure you're okay?" Kaito said, grabbing Shinichi's arm as he stepped forwards and stumbled slightly. Then he cursed as he heard a familiar sound on the stairs. "Here come the cops…"

"Come on," Shinichi said, moving his arm to grab Kaito's and tug him along the hall, looking for another staircase. "The ghosts have done all the damage they can do down here, they're heading upstairs. Let's follow. I'm a detective, I'm nosy, I want to know what's on the tenth floor, and on top of everything else I want to know if the Organization's boss is upstairs, because if he isn't they'll just regroup."

"I'm game," Kaito agreed with a grin, running alongside him and following the ghosts to the stairwell.

By the time the combination of the entire Kaitou Kid Task Force and a few officers of the homicide department reached the third floor, all that was left were a number of unconscious and injured criminals, with the sounds of chaos above.

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Pleasant as it was to wake up in Kaito's arms (crap, he really _had_ fallen for the thief, hadn't he?), the comfort was very quickly superseded by the realization that he was still inside what was probably a major Black Organization building, surrounded by armed and angry poltergeists, and he wasn't in great shape. He ignored the pain to move, but his gut was going to be hell in the morning, and he should probably get his skull checked out before he next tried to sleep. His arm was pretty painful to move, probably not broken but possibly fractured.

He was winded quickly on the stairs, as well. His ribs definitely felt bruised, though probably not broken; his breathing would be more laboured if they were. But he'd only made a flight before he began to flag.

"Damn…" he panted, pausing on the fourth floor. He straightened up just in time to see Toichi, who had been muttering to Kaito, go whizzing through the door with the Miyano couple. "Kaito, what're they…?"

"Your ribs are hurting, aren't they?" Kaito said, gently poking his stomach, and nodding when Shinichi couldn't resist hissing through his teeth in pain. "Thought so. Pause a minute."

"We can't stop, if the police catch you-"

"I'm not going to watch you run yourself to death just to keep me out of a cell," Kaito cut him off, before grinning. "Especially since I don't doubt that I could leave the cells down at the Met any time I pleased. Just _slow down_ for a minute, the cops'll be distracted by all of the half-dead Ravens. Besides, Oyaji had an idea."

"An idea…?" Shinichi began to ask, then gaped as a swivel chair, stolen from some office or the like, came bursting through the door, propelled by the Miyano, and scooped him up.

"Up up and away?" Toichi suggested, with a cheeky grin that made him look _precisely _like his son. Before Shinichi could say anything, the former and present Kid had started moving up the stairs again, and the chair started scooting after them at high speed.

"Relax, Kudo-kun, we won't drop you," Elena assured him. "It's the least we can do, for all you've protected Shiho."

Shinichi just gripped the armrests as they swung around one flight after enough, counting floors and growing increasingly worried the closer they got to the tenth. _Something_ was there…

When they finally burst through the tenth floor doors, it was to a veil of smoke and sparks.

"Holy crap," Kaito coughed, stepping backwards as something spat a shower of sparks to his right, the lights flickering on and off crazily. It wasn't helping Shinichi's headache. "What's going on?"

"Some of the others have started having fun with the power and computer systems," Akai said dryly, popping up through the floor. "There seems to be a lot of machinery on this floor. Be careful…"

"There isn't just machinery here," Shinichi said, pushing on one arm of the swivel chair to get to his feet. "There's something else here. Something that… shouldn't be…" he started moving forward, following that strange feeling. It felt almost like the presence of a ghost… but one that had never been alive in the first place…

"Lead on," Kaito said with a nod, striding forward to walk alongside Shinichi down the hall and passing him a spare gas mask so that he could breathe through the smoke.

"Thanks," Shinichi said, smiling at him as he put on the gas mask. It was odd, Kaito mused. It was his face, but there were subtle differences in the way Shinichi held it, a difference in the eyes. As if Kaito's odd-blue irises were a doublet like Pandora, within them he could see Shinichi's brilliant, piercing gaze.

He reached down and grabbed Shinichi's hand as he pulled the detective down the hall, squeezing it slightly. He was nervous for a moment, but then Shinichi squeezed ever-so-slightly back, and then Kaito felt ready to take on Izanami herself, if she was what awaited them.

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"What the hell's going on?" Sonoko said, glaring at the police cars flashing past even as she yawned widely.

"It looks pretty major," Eisuke said, not commenting on the fact that, among the police cars, he had seen, driving in unmarked cars, men that he recognized as FBI agents. He could only think of one thing serious enough to make the FBI blow their cover to the Japanese police. "Want to go check it out?"

"Are you high, Hondo?" Aizawa demanded. "I came to see a cool movie and hang out late with my classmates for one of the last times. It ain't long before we graduate, after all, but we _do_ have classes in the meantime, so I wanna crash afterwards, not hang around a crime scene." Most of the others agreed; most of the class had come on a group trip to an all-night movie, admittedly nearly all of them part of a couple and not paying much attention to the movie in the darkened theatre.

"It does look important, though," Ran said with a frown, watching another car go past. "Hey… wasn't that Nakamori-keibu?"

"What?" Sonoko shrieked, looking in the direction that the cars had gone. "That means Kid-sama's involved! I'm there!" She wasn't the only one shrieking; Nakamichi and Aizawa exchanged glances and sighs as their girlfriends began squealing with Sonoko.

"But if Kid's involved, why are homicide officers going as well?" Ran said quietly, frowning as she evidently recognized the occupants of another police car. She seemed to know most of the force.

"Probably because of the events of the last heist," Eisuke said, squeezing her hand encouragingly. "So nobody gets hurt." She smiled and blushed a little, nodding. It was beautiful.

"Come _on,_ come on!" Sonoko yelled, charging down the street. "I don't want to miss a second!"

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"Hold on a moment."

Kaito jerked his hand out of Shinichi's (and already missing the warmth, the contact) and knelt down before a number panel set in next to a doorway. "This doesn't seem to have exploded. I think it's running off of its own power source."

"Which means that something _extremely_ important is behind there," Shinichi said, his voice somewhat muffled and distorted by the gas mask. "Can you hack through this?"

"Is Snake a murdering bastard?" Kaito responded, producing a screwdriver from somewhere and pulling off the metal panelling to reveal the wires of the mechanism. "Give me a moment…"

"Well, _that's_ a skill I never had to learn," Toichi said, staring at the panel in interest. "There weren't that many electronic locks in my day, and they were nowhere _near_ that complex…"

"And they're getting better all the time, so it's a developing skill," Kaito said, frowning in concentration as he unplugged and switched wires. "This is _very_ complex. Whatever's behind here is very important to them…"

"It's what I've been feeling," Shinichi said, pressing his hand to the door. "I can feel it. Like a ghost… but not… but _powerful_…"

"Vermouth said she was like you," Kaito said, still hacking away. "She could see ghosts. Maybe she's not the only one…"

"I don't know, but whatever the reason, we can't get into that room," Akai said with a frown. He and the other ghosts present, the Miyano family and Toichi, wouldn't go too near the door. "I've tried. I can't get close."

"Nor can I," Toichi said, frowning. "… Be very careful, Kaito. You're possessing another's body and Shinichi-kun is possessing a body through necromancy. If there's another- whatever Shinichi-kun and Sharon-chan are- in there, and if, as Shinichi-kun says, they're powerful, they could be very dangerous to the both of you."

"What about all of you?" Shinichi said, looking at the ghosts. Atsushi barked out a bitter laugh.

"What'll he do- kill us?" he asked. Elena just shook her head.

"Don't worry about us, Kudo-kun," she said. "Just end this, so we can move on. Set us free- the living and the dead."

Shinichi nodded slightly, perhaps thinking guiltily of the little scientist that he was now openly avoiding, ever since attempting to explain the ghosts to her. She hadn't believed him until he'd begun parroting Akemi, and then she had started crying and fled, something that had clearly floored the detective and made him so uncomfortable that he hadn't followed her.

"_There_ we go!" Kaito chirped as the panel _beeped_, causing the metal door to slide open. Kaito stood up, peeking into the room, and stopped dead, staring.

A web of security lasers criss-crossed the room, surrounding a case of bulletproof glass, suspended from the floor by steel wire, inside of which was a huge, uncut diamond.

_Snake's been leading you a merry dance._

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_Sorry it's a day late, yesterday was taken up by Gap Year fundraising, mainly my sponsored haircut. I got a lot cut off, and I mean a LOT. My hair used to trail nearly two feet down my back. Now? Shorter than Sato's. I have a pretty cute fringe in the front, but that's it; it's short enough that some of my friends have been calling me "Max in makeup", Max being my brother's name. I've gotten a lot of sponsorship for it, though, so worth it. Also, some people's expressions on seeing it for the first time have been brilliant, since this is the first time in the history of ever that I've had short hair :) One of my friends says it looks like P!nk's, though, which is a major compliment for me; P!nk is my favourite singer, and since seeing the Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour in Hampden Park on Saturday, I downright hero-worship that woman. Who else can play every instrument in her backing band, or sing which sash dancing and crowd surfing in an inflatable hamster ball? _

_Anyway, reviews… that made me cry too, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__. Poor Nakamori-keibu… *sniffles a bit* Yeah, Vermouth has her own agenda…_

… _I don't have to answer, __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__ XD You'll find out soon ;)_

_Attention, __**SoftcoreOtaku!**__ My hair is telling me that this fic's entering the final phase…_

_Glad I made your day, __**Shingo-sama**__! Now to mindscrew with everyone until next week :D_

_Epic and mindscrewing ahoy, __**Desperatembrace**__! And I named it "Funeral" because all of the chapters have a death theme and it sounded ominous :P_

_Don't ya just love 'em so, __**Mesonoxian**__? :)_

_Glad you love it so, __**Renkin-chan**__ :) Less a curse, more of a trap… Not time for "Happily ever after" _just_ yet…_

_I know what you mean, __**Kayla Edogawa **__;) Ghosts are awesome, and yeah, Gin will not get a happy ending out of this…_

_Who knows what will happen next, __**Cat**__… (except me :P ) They're connected by the POWER OF LOVE! *shot, bricked, left to die in a hole* Here's your next chapter, and I'll try to have the next one up on time!_

_Gin is such a great evil bastard, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ XD_

_More excitement, __**OnlyIntuition**__! More cliffhangers! XD_

… _Well, you can be rest assured that there'll be no twincest, __**bloddy raptor**__ ;) Is this strange enough? XD_

_They certainly got the measure of Shinichi quickly, eh, __**Madame Of All Manga**__ XD Welcome to the tenth floor… ooh! Fangirl Land? Sounds like a fun theme park ;)_

_Yes I am, __**simply anonymous**__ ;) Yep, the ghosts are having fun :D You're welcome!_

_Here ya go, __**Teldra**__… with the ever-present Evil Cliffy XD_

_Glad you've caught up and reviewed now, __**Tohda**__! ;) Glad you like!_

_Squeal away, __**Milky Etoile**__ XD Gotta love the KaiShin and the Enigmatic Vermouth XD_

_I'm glad you're enjoying the story, __**GoGothGirl**__, even if it is making you cry… which, hell, the deaths are supposed to do XD_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	35. 34:Moonlight

_**Chapter Thirty-Four**_

_**Moonlight**_

"That can't be," Kaito gasped, mouth suddenly dry. "Why… if They had it already, why…?"

Shinichi's brain whirred as he looked over the jewel, ignoring Toichi as the magician burst into a very out-of-character bout of swearing. He could understand the ghost's anger, however. If that jewel was what he thought it was…

"So They could kill you," he said, staring dully at the rough rock, glinting dully in the light of the laser web. "I don't think They had it from the start, but clearly They've had it for a while. They let you think They didn't so that you'd still go out on heists, still telling Them exactly when and where you'd be. If you knew They had it, you'd vanish off of Their radar entirely as Kid and start striking at Them where it hurt. They kept up the charade so you'd keep walking into the crosshairs."

"… I hate to say it, but that does sound like Us," Elena said softly. "I knew Snakebite… not well, but I knew him. He hates Kid with a passion, and frankly I don't doubt that he'd happily engage in a fruitless infiltration to a museum if it meant he could put a bullet in your skull at the end."

"Dammit!" Kaito snarled, stepping forwards. Shinichi grabbed his arm.

"Hold it," he said warningly, even as his temper began to boil. If Elena was right… that was _dirty_. "We don't want to touch those lasers…"

"They'll just be alarm-tripped," Kaito snorted, preparing to step through them again.

"To _who_?" Shinichi asked sharply. "Do you really think They want to call the police in here? I think those lasers might be for real." To illustrate his point, he reached into his pocket, ripped a page out of his notebook, and lowered it to one of the lasers.

The paper began to sizzle black before it had even touched the red line, and the promptly burst into flames.

"… Okay, I get you now," Kaito admitted. "Hmmm…" He began closely examining the network of light beams.

"I'd levitate it out to you, but I think it's what's blocking us," Toichi said dejectedly. "Whatever that is…"

"It's not from this world," Shinichi confirmed. "I think that's why it feels a bit like a ghost to me… It doesn't belong here, and neither do you."

"Got it."

Shinichi glanced over to Kaito, and did a double-take. He'd come in in his Kid costume, but all of the white cloth had vanished, replaced by a tight ash-grey t-shirt and dark jeans.

"All of that cape and hat would catch the lasers," he explained, crouching. "Now, I'll have to do this carefully, but I think I've found a route that doesn't require any contortions this body can't do…"

"Kaito, what're you…" Shinichi began, cutting off as Kaito ducked under the closed laser and then did a sort of rolling hop between the next two.

"I've done this before with optic lasers," he said, nipping between a few more of the lethal red beams. "I _can_ do subtle when it comes to theft. You just have to focus on the spaces between the lasers, not the actual lasers. It was a technique originally pioneered to get through steel wire traps, but the principle's the same…"

"What are you talking about?" Shinichi asked blankly. "Steel wire traps?"

"A favourite for this kind of security before lasers," Toichi said, gesturing to the room and giving Shinichi an amused look. "The Kaitou Kid is a relatively recent gimmick, but Kaitou have been around for centuries, you know. What do you think Kajisuke was?"

"Don't tell me he was your great-grandfather or something," Shinichi said dryly. Toichi shook his head.

"Much further back than that," he corrected. "What, did you think I picked up master theft skills in a college club? Call it a family trade."

"Kami help me," Shinichi sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

"Well, there _is_ clearly a strong possibility that your son won't be passing those skills on…" Akai murmured.

"Got it!"

Shinichi looked up to see Kaito triumphantly lifting the uncut diamond, the glass case seeming undisturbed. "Then get back here. _Carefully_."

"What do you take me for?" Kaito snorted, tossing the diamond up and through the lasers to Shinichi. As he'd half-suspected, they didn't so much as scratch the cloudy surface. This thing was not right. The ghosts shuffled back as Shinichi plucked the jewel out of the air, and he couldn't say he didn't feel a bit odd himself. Like this rough lump of rock was… _repelling_ him…

He sighed in relief as Kaito finally made it back through the lasers unscathed, before gasping as Kaito turned his arm to reveal a long, thin burn across the edge of it.

"Got too close," he admitted sheepishly. "It's nothing much."

"Are you sure?" Shinichi demanded, gently grabbing his arm and examining the burn closely. It didn't look deep, just sore.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Kaito muttered, blushing a little, pulling the arm away again. "All right. Let's get up to the roof and examine this."

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Saguru stared in shock at the carnage. He'd entered the building after the SWAT team that was now steadily moving up through the floors, and was now surrounded by paramedics and cops who were handcuffing the men and women that they'd found on this floor to stretchers.

There were a lot of hidden rooms on this floor. Everyone was wearing black, many wearing Kevlar or other items suggesting that their normal activities were considerably more dangerous than calculating insurance premiums. And there were weapons _everywhere_, in a few cases still lodged into their victims.

They were bringing in body bags as well as stretchers.

He turned to leave, meeting Aoko at the edge of the police cordon around the building. There were sirens in the distance, as SWAT teams busted other buildings. Aoko was white-faced as she stared up at the building.

"What's going on?" she asked softly, nodding towards the many ambulances approaching and departing the building. "Is…?"

"No officers have been hurt," Saguru assured her. "There seems to have been… fighting, of some sort, before the police got here. But they've found a lot of illegal weaponry, some stolen goods… they're arresting anyone left standing."

"I would not say there are a lot," a voice said from right behind him. He managed not to jump as he turned to face Koizumi.

"Akako-chan!" Aoko gasped. "What are you talking about?"

Koizumi stared up at the building through glassy, oddly disturbed eyes. "Angry spirits are rising this night. Many spirits, very angry. I suppose that building is filled with their murderers."

"Angry spirits?" Aoko said, a little confused, before calling to one of the officers. "Yoshikawa-keiji! Have you seen Otou-san?"

"If there are spirits here," Saguru murmured to Akako as Aoko hurried off to talk to one of the officers, "does that mean…?"

"Angry as they are, they are exhibiting too much power to have come without a Reikai-tantei," Akako replied, looking up to the upper floors.

The lights were flashing on and off, intermittently and crazily, some turning odd colours. Hakuba walked over to join a now frightened Aoko, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. She leaned slightly into him. On the highest floors, one window after another shattered as things within began to explode.

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"Hold on," Kaito said, stopping to relock another door behind him. They had gotten upstairs fairly quietly, but what Organization members were still standing were beginning to fall back, driven back by the police officers, and were probably not going to take kindly to find out that they'd been robbed. "I've busted the codelock system, but these doors won't be too hard to break down…"

"Well, with any luck They'll be concentrating on the police rather than us," Shinichi said, waiting by the last door to the roof. The Organization were so paranoid that even this required a four-digit code- or a screwdriver and some hacking, as Kaito demonstrated a few moments later. "If we check this and it really is… the Pandora… any idea how we destroy it?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," Kaito hummed, locking the final door behind them. "If the cops catch all of the Organization before They get to us, I can easily sneak it out of here and figure it out. I'll start with a hammer and then work my way up… when all else fails, I can try the One Ring method."

"… I never pegged you as a fantasy fan," Shinichi chuckled, striding across the rooftop towards the largest patch of moonlight. "Still, I don't suppose there's much that _won't _be destroyed by dropping it into an active volcano…"

"Chat later, the police are advancing fast and the Ravens are running faster," Akai said sharply. Akemi gripped his hand as Kaito withdrew the jewel. Staring at it in the shadows, thinking that what he was holding may or may not be the reason his father and so many others had died… he suddenly froze up.

"… You do it," he said, tossing the jewel to Shinichi. The detective caught it easily, but due to the way he was facing, the jewel was held in his own shadow. He stared in surprise at Kaito. "I just can't," Kaito said softly. "I'm just scared to think this is really it… plus, whatever the hell it is, I'm not sure someone who should be dead ought to be holding it if there's any power release or anything, you know?"

Shinichi looked over him searchingly for a moment, then nodded, perhaps understanding what Kaito hadn't said. Then he looked over the other ghosts present- Akai Shuuichi, Miyano Akemi, Atsushi and Elena, Kuroba Toichi. Those whose fates depended on what happened tonight. The Organization was going to suffer mass arrests tonight anyway, but if they managed to destroy this jewel, this central item to their plans, they would be broken and regrouping would be far more difficult. The ghosts would be able to pass on in peace.

Perhaps Shinichi's hesitance was due to having the same thought as Kaito; he was a ghost possessing a living body, still not technically alive. If the other ghosts were passing one… would he as well?

"Are you ready for this?" Shinichi asked, slowly raising the jewel. "All of you. I mean, when this thing goes off, They'll be done- you'll all have to… go."

"I know," Elena said, touching her husband's hand. "We're ready. We know Shiho… is safe."

"Bring it on," Akai said, putting his arm around Akemi. "I've been waiting for this since that bastard Gin killed you…"

"You always were notable for your cheery demeanour," Akemi laughed.

"I'm ready," Toichi said. His hand hovered above his son's shoulder.

"Yeah," Kaito said, though his voice was rough. "You will…?"

"I'll… I'll be all right," Shinichi promised-_lied_- softly. Kaito swallowed hard, then nodded.

"Let's do this," he said. Shinichi gave him that disconcerting double stare for a long, uncomfortable moment, the silence only broken by the distant sounds of gunfire as one locked door after another was forced open. A last look, perhaps. Then he nodded, raising the Pandora to the moonlight.

Red light washed over them all, stinging Kaito all over like wasabi. The other ghosts yelled and fell back from the unearthly light. Even Shinichi dropped to his knees, cringing as the light hit him. Whatever it was, wherever it was from, it was not designed for contact with the undead.

The light suddenly died as Shinichi dropped the jewel and curled over it, hiding it from the moonlight. For a long moment, the only sound was two sets of harsh breathing as they got over the wash of pain.

Until the door burst open behind Kaito, five Organization members spilling onto the rooftop, guns in hand.

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_Gin's easy to hate, __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__… and YES THEY DID._

_A wonderful mix, __**Shingo-sama**__ ;) Don't worry, they're all getting their just desserts…._

_Not all along, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__, but for a while… You know what it is? OMG A GIANT ROCK! XDXD_

_KaiShin wins over all, __**Renkin-chan**__! ;)_

_Final runup, __**OnlyIntuition**__!_

_Yeah, but then she had Aoko kick ass, eh, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ ;) Because Snake's an asshole, that's why :P You can have Gin once he's out of the hospital… although if you want to visit him privately, we can disable his nurse alarm ;)_

_I think Gin's learning a LOT about the power of ghosts, __**Cat**__ ;) There's… that behind the locked door XD_

_What was that, __**Milky Etoile**__? I didn't hear you, I'm deaf XD (how does that affect reading ability…?) Nearly at the end, but not quite done… A lot of people are checking this out, since shit is going DOWN! *shot* Will I let Gin live or not…? Undecided. *More*, eh…? *lascivious fangirl grin*_

_No time before 10am even EXISTS in summer, __**Madame of all Manga**__ XDXD You have a nice cousin :) Here's your next chapter!_

_Not all along, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__, but certainly for longer than they let on…_

_Gotta love the magnificent evil bastards, eh, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__? ;) Because I love the mindscrewing? XD You can end the chair dance now… and start a new one XD_

_Here ya go, __**Teldra**__… a touch more KaiShin, and another cliffie ;)_

_Not all along, __**simply anonymous**__, but for some time, yeah. You have no idea just how sadistic the BO leader is… Surprises are fun :)_

_Strange is pretty much through the roof now, __**bloddy raptor**__ :P_

_And heeeere's the prologue scene, __**AmaryMei**__!_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	36. 35:Pandora

_**Chapter Thirty-Five**_

_**Pandora**_

"Kaito!" Shinichi yelled as the black-clad figures opened fire across the rooftop, ducking and rolling himself under the trajectory of the bullets, following a reflex that was sharp enough to surprise him; how often had Kaito faced down gunfire? How long had his life been in danger, and none of them had ever realized…?

"Shinichi!" Kaito called as he ducked and rolled as well, in his case heading _towards_ the gunners, kicking out in a roundhouse sweep aimed at their ankles. "Where are the ghosts?"

"I don't think they like being around this thing," Shinichi called as he ducked behind the support legs for a helipad. Kaito followed suit after knocking the gunners over, running flat out while they scrambled for balance, zig-zagging as they started firing again. "Do you have your hanglider on you?"

"It can't take two," Kaito said, shaking his head. Shinichi offered him the jewel.

"Doesn't matter, the police'll be up here before long," he said, "I just have to not get shot before then. Plus, if you take this away, I might be able to get some ghostly backup…"

"I'm not leaving you behind," Kaito said sharply.

"Your ghosts aren't coming anyway."

They both paused, and then peeked around the support struts to stare at the Org member who had said that. He was a fairly nondescript older man, wearing a black sports jacket over a black shirt and trousers; evidently, he went in for the Organization's dress code, but in a very expensive way. One of those hovering around him, Shinichi noticed with a frown, had a familiar handlebar moustache and black trenchcoat- Snakebite. He caught Kaito's eye, and saw the brief flash of anger as he recognized his father's- _and his_- murderer.

"They don't like this thing, do they?" Shinichi said, raising the Pandora into their line of sight and waggling it slightly before pulling it back. A couple of irritated shots blew through the air where his hand had been, mostly on principle.

"No, they don't," the man responded calmly. "That's why my ghosts won't respond either. It's just you two and us five. Note that we're holding all the guns."

"Don't know about that," Kaito called back, cocking his card gun. "I'm pretty sure the riot police are licensed to use guns too, where necessary. Not that it's ever happened on my heists…"

"It's happened on my cases," Shinichi assured him. "If the police are facing down criminals using gunfire, they're allowed to fire back. Especially if innocent civilians are endangered."

"In case you intend to keep us talking until the police get here," the man continued, still unsettlingly calm but with just a hint of a sneer, "You should know that by the time they do, you will be dead and we will be gone." His voice _was_ growing steadily and unsettlingly closer.

"Wha-" Kaito began, before yelling and covering his eyes as light swept across them. The light faded for a moment, before returning and focusing on them.

"Move!" Shinichi yelled as Kaito noticed a _fwup-fwup-fwup_ noise coming from the light. "It's a helicopter, and Their helicopters have machine guns!"

"Oh, shit," Kaito moaned, moving around to put the support pillar between himself and the helicopter, shadows from the support pillars dancing crazily around them as the helicopter swung around to get them in line-of-sight, concrete cracking as the loud rattle of machine-gun fire followed the light. The Org members with the guns might have proved a problem if he hadn't flung several mixed smokebombs and sleeping gas containers at them as he moved, hoping to knock them out or at the very least distract them. A group gasp indicated that they were all holding their breath until the sleeping gas dissipated, but the smoke was still thick, and the few wild bullets that emerged from the smoke indicated that they couldn't see a thing. Kaito grabbed Shinichi's wrist and tugged him towards the door downstairs.

"I'll drop you off with the police, _then_ leg it out of a window, deal?" Kaito said as they ran. Shinichi shifted his arm to squeeze Kaito's hand slightly by way of agreement; he didn't want to see Kaito arrested, not now. Helicopter lights flashed after them, machine-gun bullets peppering the structures they'd been hiding behind.

He also didn't want to see him shot, but that was what very nearly happened a second later, and would have if Shinichi hadn't yanked him back as something shifted in the smoke. Somebody in there had heard Kaito speaking and fired in the right direction, nearly taking the thief's head off. More bullets followed as the Ravens realized that the bullets were blowing away the smoke, allowing them to see again. The helicopter lights flashed after then, but the bullets stopped when they got near the smoke. The Org wasn't best known for sparing their own…

"We can't afford to stop!" Kaito yelled, heading forward to the door again. "Let's just get the hell out of-"

"KAITO!" Shinichi yelled as a bullet suddenly ripped through the thief's arm, causing him to drop with a howl as the force of the bullet against the speed he'd been running at caused him to trip over his feet. Shinichi dropped to his knees next to Kaito, trying to help him back up, but he had to duck another bullet as the lead Raven, the one in the expensive clothes, stepped out of the fading smoke and between them and the door, grinning down at them from the other end of his gun. The other four quickly surrounded them, guns trained on them.

"Hand the Pandora back, boy," The leader said softly. "I'd rather not have to kill you; I don't believe I can control the ghost of one of us."

"I dare you," Shinichi growled, standing upright carefully, not wanting to make the other four jumpy. Kaito stood up next to him, gripping his bleeding arm with a defiant expression, subtly flexing his fingers slightly. The wound wasn't as bad as it looked. The leader didn't lose his composure, but continued to grin disturbingly.

"Just because I'm hesitant to kill _you_…" he said, moving his gun to point at Kaito's forehead and gesturing for the other four to follow suit. "Doesn't mean I don't mind killing this one. He should be dead anyway. Hand over the jewel now, boy- and while you're at it, why don't you hang around? We could always use more of us in the Syndicate…"

"And who _are_… "us", exactly?" Shinichi asked, gripping Pandora. "_Where the hell are the cops_?"

"Spirit masters, of course," the man said softly. "You could be so powerful, boy. We all could. Just _give me the Pandora!_"

Shinichi glanced at Kaito briefly, and the thief shook his head. He hadn't thought of anything yet. Shinichi looked from the Pandora to the leader, and then smiled.

"If you want it so badly…" he said stepping forward, holding out the jewel in both hands.

"Shinichi, what're you-" Kaito began, stepping forwards, and just as everyone looked to him, Shinichi leapt forward, clenching the jewel in his hands to hit the leader across the face in a two-handed punch, given all the more force by the weight of the jewel. He kept the swing going down onto the hand holding the gun as the man's head snapped to the side, briefly stunned. There was a _cracking_ noise from the more fragile wrist bones, and the man dropped the gun. There were the sounds of havoc behind him as Kaito took advantage of the other men's distraction; they wouldn't get a chance to protect themselves from sleeping gas this time. Shinichi tried to swing the jewel back up, aiming for the leader's gut, but he grabbed Shinichi's wrist in a vicelike grip from his good hand, kicking at Shinichi's legs as he did so. Shinichi hopped to avoid them without letting go of the jewel with either hand- thank heavens for Kaito's ridiculous flexibility- but as he did so, he felt and odd pulling sensation. He began to feel himself going numb.

"_What's happening?_" he wondered in fear as he begin to lose feeling, until he looked up into the leader's eyes and felt the flow of power. Then he _flickered_; for a moment, the world looked and felt different, like it did when he was a ghost. Like his soul was being ripped from Kaito's body. "_No_!" he gasped as the leader grinned. "_My soul's not best bound to this body anyway- he could tear me right out-!_" Shinichi focused, clinging on in a way he couldn't really explain; he had to hold onto being in Kaito's body! If he was a ghost, he couldn't stay near the Pandora, which was beginning to burn in his grip…

"Shinichi!" Kaito yelled in horror. "You're-!"

And then Shinichi could no longer hear Kaito; he was falling into darkness, and all he could do was grip onto the leader's arm with one hand and Pandora in the other…

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Distracted by their boss' confrontation with Shinichi, Kaito managed to take three of the men completely by surprise with a few quick blasts of sleeping gas. He didn't managed to gas Snake, but a good solid rugby tackle was enough to take him down. Kaito drew his card gun, pointing it between the man's eyes.

"… This is one of those moments I kinda wish this thing fires real bullets," he commented, causing Snake's eyes to widen and his skin to pale rapidly as he froze rigid, "but I'm sure I'd regret it later, and anyway it'd piss Shinichi off. Sleep tight!" Then he fired a blast of sleeping gas into Snake's face, holding on the trigger until Snake was very deeply asleep. Kaito carefully stood up, pointing his gun carefully away. "Besides, I'm not you." Part of him was yelling that he had his father's murderer at his mercy, that he ought to pay him back for being a murdering bastard, but that part of him, as it always did, got shoved into a little back corner as he turned to see how Shinichi was faring against the leader.

Shinichi was _flickering_.

The leader was grinning, and every few seconds, it was like a glowing sheen suddenly enveloped Shinichi, like the white noise on a TV screen. His physical hands drooped slightly, but spectral ones remained gripping onto the Pandora.

"Shinichi!" he yelled, leaping to his feet and starting towards the struggling pair. "You're-!" He cut off as both men suddenly stumbled forwards and slumped; it took Kaito a moment to realize that, given how they had been struggling in the doorway to the stairwell, their fall, dragged by the leader's greater bulk, pulled them down the stairs.

"_SHINICHI_!" Kaito howled in fear, diving for the stairs as there were a series of sickening _thumps_ from the stairwell. He froze briefly at the stop, staring at the two figures sprawled lifelessly at the bottom, hands still locked around each other's wrists, and the brief splashes of red scattered around the stairs marking their descent, framed by the smoke and sparks from the burning building. He nearly fell himself, rushing down the stairs towards them, ignoring the approaching yells of the police fighting against the cornered Ravens. He couldn't hear or see any more ghosts; had they all fled from Pandora? Or had this man, who had talked about ghosts himself…

"Shinichi!" He yelled, slapping his friend's face lightly in an attempt to rouse him. As he picked Shinichi up one-handedly, rolling him onto his back and cradling him, he couldn't find any broken bones; he'd fallen on top of the leader, whose head lolled at an unnatural angle. He wasn't getting up.

But neither was Shinichi. No matter how often he called, Kaito could draw no response from the detective, and worse, he seemed to be paling, his pulse weakening.

"_What the hell's wrong with him?_" he thought, frantically checking Shinichi. No new wounds that he could find, just bumps and bruises; what was wrong? Why wasn't he waking up? If the body was dying- where was his soul?

Where was the Pandora? Both of their hands were clasped around empty space. Kaito looked around frantically, coughing a little as the smoke grew thick enough to descend to where he was kneeling, but he couldn't see the cursed jewel anywhere. It had vanished. Like Shinichi-?

"Shit!" he yelled, clutching Shinichi's-his-whoever's body protectively as a huge explosion rocked the building from somewhere not far; a huge belch of smoke and sparks spilled through the door leading to the rest of the floor. Hauling Shinichi up in a fireman's lift, Kaito ran back up to the roof, skipping around the body of the leader and the unconscious forms of his four cronies, including Snake. The helicopter was gone; frightened off by the police or the explosions or simply called away, who knew.

Another explosion ripped through the building as more of the Organization's stuff exploded, this time creating a fireball that burst through the roof. Kaito leapt off, still carrying Shinichi, struggling to produce his hanglider.

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"What the hell happened here?" Miwako gasped as she caught up to the riot police, some of whom were engaged in a shootout with some men at the other end of a corridor. One of those hanging back, waiting for the path to be cleared, turned and motioned for her to crouch beneath the smoke, even though she was holding a handkerchief over her mouth and nose. Wataru caught up, gently tugging her into a crouch by the shoulder.

"When we got in here, most of 'em were already dead or injured," he called over the gunfire. "They've been retreating to the upper floors, but something's played merry hell with their electric supply, and computers and shit are blowing up all over the place. This place is a treasure trove of illegal weapons and stolen goods- GET DOWN!" He yelled as an explosion sounded, the riot police ducking behind their shields as fire and smoke washed briefly down the hallway. There were screams from the criminals they were fighting, some horribly prolonged. The police charged down the hallway, now faced with only the task of putting out the fires consuming the burning men.

"Sato-san… _Takagi_," the man said, like all red-blooded cops in the Tokyo Met no longer bothering to hide his contempt for Miwako's fiancé. "Please go back downstairs, I think there's more places like this being hit throughout the city. These men here ain't doing much more damage. And if we see the Kid, like Nakamori-keibu said we will… well, we don't really need homicide detectives for him, do we?"

"Good point," Wataru said, standing up. "Come on, Miwako. We need to get out of here, we don't have fire equipment or clothes…"

"Good luck!" Miwako called as she headed back downstairs after her fiancé. "What'd he mean by "other places"?" she muttered.

"I'm not sure," Wataru said uncomfortably, "but I'm sure I saw Jodie-san- the "FBI lady on holiday"- talking to Matsumoto-keibu. This is something major, I think."

"I- _AAAGH_!" Miwako yelled as another explosion ripped through the building, knocking them off their feet. She gripped tightly onto the handrail with one hand and Wataru's hand with the other as the building shook.

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_I beg of you, forgive me for my random and prolonged radio silence. I won't go into why, I've ranted enough about it on my LiveJournal (KaiShinFTW), but suffice to say that life's happening to me frequently and generally on the fly, making it hard for me to have any time on the computer and keeping me from writing the few times I am on. APT may not pick up again for a while. Forgive me for the horrible cliffhanger, but I just don't think I'll have time to write the final chapters for a while. Just to reassure you that I'm not dead._

_A silver ferret, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__? XD Even better if we can let Mad-Eye Moody loose on him… XDXD_

_So intense, __**Desperatembrace… **__but so sporadic DX_

_Indeed it has, __**Ceirwy**__, and it's being spread liberally._

_It's shocked you so much you've become French, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__? XD_

_Whatever works, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__ XD And my blue hair senses that you should totally check out DarkSideIncorporated's "YuGiOh GX Abridged" and "Sonic X Abridged"… they are ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS! XD_

_Here's more,__** Teldra**__, but it might be the last for a while…_

_It was meant to trick you based on your expectations, __**Kayla Edogawa**__ ;) The KaiShin Army is a sort of unofficial fan term for a certain major group of KaiShin fangirls, headed up by Dragon-Sama and White Mage Koorii, who write THE definitive KaiShin fics, Dragon-Sama being a mistress of comedy and Koorii the Queen of Angst. Check 'em out! (Forgive the cheap plug, but I can't afford a better one XD)_

_I know how it feels, __**A Smiling Cat**__ ;) This is what happens next… for now._

_I'm sure so long as you cosplay well, he won't mind, __**Madame Of All Manga**__ ;) He hates copiers who try to frame him, but he's just too vain not to like his fans XDXD_

_I'm glad you like my story, __**Lilith Vaan**__, but I'm afraid I don't use other people's OCs. I haven't even put my own OCs in a DC story yet; I prefer to give them their own stories. Why don't you try writing a fanfic for your OC?_

_Glad you enjoy the story so much, __**OnlyIntuition**__! Forgive me the epic and prolonged cliffies…_

_I'm a geek, __**Renkin-chan**__, I can't resist the scifi/fantasy references XDXD_

_They've made it, __**simply anonymous…**__ sorta…_

_It's almost at an end, but it won't happen for a while, __**Tohda**__… I'm glad you love it, and while I'd love to write more, it's taken me two weeks just to find time enough to answer reviews :(_

_That was pretty much it, __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__… that's all for now…_

_Nope, __**AmaryMei**__, Gin killed just too many people and to escape the ghosts, and didn't have the power to stop them… he's probably on a stretcher right now… or a body bag…_

_NOBODY EXPECTED THE LATE UPDATE, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ XD More prolonged chair dancing, I'm afraid…_

_It's a bit happier, __**Koryuha**__, but it's still not exactly good times…_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	37. 36:Enma

_**Chapter Thirty-Six**_

_**Enma**_

Shinichi looked around in confusion. One second, he was struggling with the leader over Pandora; the next he was standing in some kind of courtroom. Looking behind him, the rows on both sides were filled with endless shadows, some pitch-black, some shining white, but most varying shades of grey. There seemed to be no jury; all there was was a judge's podium, behind which was a man dressed in flowing robes of red and white.

"Enma?" the leader growled, causing the golden figure to sigh.

"Spirit controllers. No respect these days," he sighed in a deep, rumbling voice. It was a voice that rumbled through every cell of the body, though Shinichi suspected that if he was in the presence of _the_ Enma, he wasn't in a body any more.

"Are we… in the spirit world?" he said guardedly, glancing around the room. "It's a courtroom?"

"It's a place most people can recognize. It's easier to deal with spirits if you reduce the fear and confusion factors- being dead tends to be bad enough," Enma said, waving his hand at the spirits behind Shinichi and the leader, who drifted off through various doors. "Anyway, this is just the Japan division. Feel grateful, Osiris refuses to upgrade. Says it's to punish the mortals for barely believing in them any more… it doesn't matter, they damn well believe once they're in _here_."

"Why are we _here_?" the leader growled. Enma grinned, which visibly unnerved the leader.

"_You _are here, Iida Akio," he said in an amused tone, "because you're _dead_. Both of you tried to pull your souls out of each other's bodies at the same time, and when you passed out you fell down a staircase. Snapped your neck. About damn time, I say. You and your little organization belong in Hell. I've had ghosts calling for it for years, even- what am I saying- _especially_ your own. Take him away. Izanami has _plans_ for him, I believe."

"No!" Iida yelled, but it was a fading cry as his spirit vanished. Several more of the black and darker grey shadows vanished with him.

"… What about me?" Shinichi asked tentatively, looking away from the spot where Iida had vanished and up to Enma, who was flicking through a notebook. Shinichi wasn't really at an angle to see the pages properly, but text seemed to be writing itself across the pages. "Am I dead too…?"

"What, the rubber body of Kuroba Kaito killed by a little fall?" Enma snorted. "Not likely. Besides, you had a soft landing. It _is_ failing, though, lying empty as it is, and if- no, it's okay, the pair of you landed in the Teimuzu. Your body and Kuroba Kaito's. I think your ghosts might have had a hand in that…" he mumbled over the notebook, and at that moment Shinichi realized that he was still holding the Pandora. He looked at the jewel, and then raised it up into Enma's sight.

"Hey… this is from here, isn't it?" he asked, looking at the now pure-red jewel. Enma's eyes widened, and he leaned over his podium, the white in his robes reflecting brightly around the room.

"Well, now," he breathed, red eyes alight. Like the red in his robes, they were the colour of blood. "Izanami will be _very_ happy to see _that_ again. Her crown jewel, deterrent to minions of Izanami- it was intended to be an anti-theft device, but it also made it very hard to find once it was stolen. And you found it!"

"I'm not interested in it," Shinichi said tossing it into the air. It abruptly vanished. "I just want to know… can you tell me? What am I? _Why_ can I…?"

"Why can you see ghosts?" Enma said, rolling his eyes. "I get that a lot from your sort, not that you're down here much. Those who have been to the spirit world and back can see ghosts. Spirit world energy. It's hardy stuff."

"So… I'm reincarnated or something?" Shinichi asked quizzically.

"Don't ask me, not my department," Enma said, snapping his fingers at somebody. "I just make sure souls go in the right direction, Izanami knows about after that. For now, the direction you're going is the realm of the living. Good job, kid."

"Hey…" Shinichi started to ask, but everything was fading again. But this time, it was couple with an odd sensation, like a thousand fingers running through his hair, comforting, apologetic, sorrowful, grateful…

Enma smiled as the kid vanished, dozens of spirits appearing in the room. Those who could control spirits weren't astonishingly rare, but one with a little bit of kindness or respect left was. And it reflected on the ghosts they handled. Not a single was black, and grey could always fade into white. For that, Izanami probably wouldn't mind the route he sent the kid back by…

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"Oh my god!"

Sonoko clasped her hands tightly over her mouth in the wake of her horrified shriek, staring at the police-covered building they were watching from the other side of the Teimuzu. It was the closest they could get, but they were too curious to just go home, long past midnight though it was. Now they just all stared, horrified.

Windows had been shattering for a while in the building, smoke pouring out of them, but now something different was happening; explosions had begun to rock the building, and police were visibly fleeing the lower floors, sometimes escorting or dragging black-clad captives. And from the explosions from the upper floors…

"Somebody's falling!" Nakamichi yelled. Tashiro screamed and grabbed his arm as she noticed the figures falling, silhouetted against the flaming upper floors. Ran covered her mouth with a gasp, fear striking her. Oh god, those people were going to fall to their deaths!

"Wait… I think they're falling into the river!" Eisuke said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Look…"

They were. As if an invisible wind was pushing them, the two were falling towards the water, where they landed in a huge splash a moment later.

"That's not much better, now they'll just _drown_," Nakamichi pointed out. Eisuke sighed and started running down the bank towards the river, toeing off his shoes and pulling off his jacket on the way.

"Oh, no _way_ am I getting out-heroed by _Hondo_!" Nakamichi yelled, following suit. Ran looked at Tashiro and Sonoko, who suddenly giggled.

"Ready to see your boyfriends in wet shirts, girls?" she said, raising her cameraphone. Tashiro screamed but laughed, running down to the river.

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"Kudo-kun? Kudo-kun!"

"Holy shit, it _is_ him…"

"Two of him?"

"Shinichi?"

Shinichi blinked into consciousness. The first sight was several concerned faces that he recognized as normally being atop Teitan uniforms staring down at him, Ran and Hondo among them. He slowly sat up, noting that at least three were soaking.

"We saw you two fall into the Teimuzu and pulled you out," Hondo explained, wringing water out of his shirt.

"Hondo's an amazing swimmer," Nakamichi said, shaking his own head like a dog to the shrieks of a couple of girls, including a now angry Sonoko. Ran glared at him, cracking her fist.

"I used to fall into rivers and ponds a lot," Hondo admitted sheepishly. Then he glanced over. "Who's your twin?"

Shinichi stared at the other body next to him. From the clothes, it was Kaito's; Enma seemed to have returned him to his own body, which, burned and battered though it was, did not seem to have sustained serious damage beyond the bullet strike to the left arm and the burn on the right. It was good to be home. And Kaito…

Kaito would be…

A powerful wave of grief hit him when he stared at the doppelganger body. He should known this would happen for a long time; he knew from the start that, since Kaito's soul had already separated from his body and he was no spirit master, he could never return. He had only really been possessing Shinichi's body, and when his death was avenged, his soul should have gone on to Reikai; it was probably among the mass of souls that had appeared before Enma as he left, their murderers arrested or killed. He had known at the start that this would happen, but he'd managed to tell himself that maybe it wouldn't have to. So why did it hurt so much to think that he would never see his ally and friend again?

Kami, was he crying? _Something _must be distorting his vision. It almost looked as if Kaito was moving.

Then Kaito opened his eyes and sat up, clutching his stomach.

"What's up?" he said as Shinichi suddenly shot away in shock "Ow… shit, that Gin dude really had an iron fist… this is _really_ gonna hurt in the morning..."

"Kaito?" he gasped in surprise, reaching over to support his friend one-handedly as he tried to stand up. Tashiro and Sonoko were squealing slightly at the sight of four dripping wet young men, but Ran and Hondo just looked a bit embarrassed and Hondo was scrutinizing Kaito thoughtfully. Did he recognize his name? "You're _alive_? I thought you'd…"

Kaito stared down at his body, and then tapped the grass and the shoulder of a very confused Hondo, confirming that he was physical. "Me too," he said, nonplussed. Then he grinned. "Who cares? I'm alive!" laughing, he glomped Shinichi around the neck, both laughing happily despite the confused stares of the other students. Shinichi suddenly became very, very aware of the strong, wet body wrapped around his. He'd been inhabiting it until recently, and was _very_ well acquainted with it; suddenly, the new occupant lent an extra dimension to that intimacy. He could feel himself blushing. From the way Kaito stiffened almost imperceptibly, he was probably blushing too- or at least was having the same thoughts that Shinichi was.

"Shinichi…?" Ran said in confusion. Shinichi made to push Kaito off of him, and as he did their gazes met. Kaito glanced at the students, then back at Shinichi, and suddenly his eyes filled with a playful sparkle that Shinichi interpreted quickly and still too late.

"Ah, what the hell," Kaito complained, before pulling Shinichi back to him and kissing him.

Shinichi kinda lost track of the fact that anyone else was there at that point, though he later vaguely remembered hearing Sonoko scream "Look what you've done now, Ran! You've scared him off of girls entirely!"

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Izanami thumped her rotting skull repeatedly off of a desk made of other people's. She slowly raised a wasted, decayed arm and pointed a bony finger at Tsukiyomi, who was almost prostrate with laughter.

"This is your fault," she growled in a voice like creaking tombstones. "Somehow, this is your fault. He is yours. That makes this your fault. And where the hell is Enma?"

Amaterasu supported her brother, politely hiding her own musical laughter behind a fine golden sleeve.

"Be calm, Izanami," she said pleasantly. "You will get him someday. For now, you have much work to do…" she gestured towards the fresh souls that had appeared, sent on by Enma. Many were marked as Ravens, wreathed in black shadows. She gestured to those who glowed white with a delicate white hand. "But _you_… will come with me. For your sufferings, you belong with me in Takamagahara." She gave Tsukiyomi an odd interdimensional shove which made him vanish, probably to laugh in peace in Mare Serenitatis. Then she beckoned again to the white souls, walking in another direction that cannot be adequately described in three-dimensional adjectives. They followed, and though some of the black souls tried to sneak away too, Izanami held them back, grinning maliciously as her youkai began to chatter.

Akai Shuichi, Miyano Akemi and her parents, Kuroba Toichi, Hondo Ethan and hundreds of other followed Amaterasu into the light, ready to rest in peace.

At least, it would be peaceful until _they_ got settled in…

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_A very happy thing happened today. I got a job! *Starts partying* As of today, I work in the Aladdin's cave that is Argos XD Which also means no more endless job hunting, and more free time to write! And so, in celebration, back to APT! :)_

_By the way, to explain the various deities mentioned in this chapter:_

_**King Enma**__, or __**King Yama**__ in Sanskrit, is an east-asian lord of death. However, he is generally perceived as guarding the boundaries between this world and the next rather than actually ruling the afterlife. _

_**Izanami**__ is the Japanese goddess of death and hell._

_**Amaterasu**__ is the Japanese goddess of the sun. Her palace at __**Takamagahara**__ is considered to be the ultimate Heaven for good souls._

_**Tsukiyomi**__ is Amaterasu's brother, the god of the moon, sometimes perceived as mischievous due to the moon's connection with Tanuki._

_**Osiris**__ is the Egyptian lord of the dead. He judges the dead, along with his sister-wife Isis, and watches over those souls which make it to the afterlife._

_**Mare Serenitatis**__ is Latin for "Sea of Serenity" and is a prominent geological feature of earth's largest moon._

_It's all good, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__! They're all OK! Well, sorta…_

_Yes, the stone did "just poof", __**OnlyIntuition**__… to another realm… Don't worry, the other spirit master isn't going anywhere…_

_Here's the update (finally), __**Teldra**__!_

_He's okay, __**SoftcoreOtaku**__! Find any good new Abridged series?_

_So little KaiShin fic, __**Kayla Edogawa**__… it's a tragedy DX_

_Please don't come after me, Kaito! I made it all OK! I'm sure __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__ will agree! Right?_

_Vermouth's made a break for it, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__…_

_Forgive me for keeping you dancing on the comfy chair of death for so long, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ XDXD_

_He's made it to the afterlife and back, __**digifreak51794…**__ (Can I just call you digifreak? XD)_

_I don't think this is "soon", __**SecondtoNon**__, but here's the update anyway!_

_Glad you enjoyed the chapter, __**Renkin-chan**__, and it's okay, no major cliffie this time! XD_

_It's all busy, __**AmaryMei**__, but good luck with getting a second job and that laptop! And I noticed that OneManga was dead DX There's still Mangafox, I suppose…_

_I think I did leave it like that, __**Cat**__ XDXD Here's the update! Finally! XD_

_Thanks for the info on snake, __**Dayanaria**__! I changed it to "Snakebite" because it was an alcohol that I knew of, but Snake sounds very, very interesting… anyway, it's always good to meet a fellow KaiShin fangirl ;) Hope you like the fic!_

_Hope you've caught up on your fics, __**Madame of All Manga**__ ;) Thanks to Enma, Shinichi's all OK… XD_

_And the cliffie is solved, __**Tohda**__! XD_

_Short, __**Hollyivy7**__?_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	38. 37:Reborn

_**Chapter Thirty-Seven**_

_**Reborn**_

"… But once he gets out of the hospital, he has to stay in an Ekoda Police Station for legal reasons until the trial," Shinichi said dejectedly, hitching his schoolbag up onto his shoulder. He'd been depressed for several days, ever since that major crime ring was taken down by a mass raid by the FBI and the police. Shinichi, according to his own account, had gone into hiding because he was snooping around them, and had started working with Kuroba Kaito as a result, who had been attempting to reveal the criminals' roles in his father's death. He had ended up getting caught by them and locked up in one of their buildings, and Kaito had rescued him. He hadn't explained the part where he and Kaito were evidently more than just investigative partners, blushing furiously whenever Ran or the evilly-grinning Sonoko probed him about it, but his feelings seemed to be for real, which unsettled Ran somewhat. Not because Kaito was a guy- Ran preferred not to think like that- but because, due to Kaito's injuries (what had transpired to be a few fractured ribs and some badly bruised muscles across his body, in addition to a number of bullet wounds which didn't seem to have healed properly), he hadn't gotten away from the police and was thus going to be living under the watch of the law for the foreseeable future.

"And they don't allow conjugal visits, eh?" Sonoko leered. Shinichi flushed again, opening his mouth to yell at her, but all that came out was a yelp of pain as Sonoko nudged the bandaged gun wound on his arm. Ran hurriedly dragged Sonoko away and shoved her towards the street lights before they changed, glad that they were at the point where the three of them tended to split up as Shinichi hissed between his teeth and clutched his damaged arm.

"So you're going there later?" she asked brightly, determined not to disparage Shinichi's new relationship in any way, even if it _was_ to a convicted criminal. Hey, with Shinichi's line of work he didn't meet many other kinds of people, and compared to most of the criminals he caught the Kaitou Kid was practically innocent. Call it a guilt trip.

"Yeah, after I drop my stuff. I decided to drop by to visit him and remind him that driving the police insane is counterproductive at this time," he said, sighing in a longsuffering fashion as he said it but quirking a little grin even so. "I'm sure he'll be behaving, anyway. His mother's visiting him today, and he's been a bit of a momma's boy ever since his father's death…"

"SHIN-CHAAAAN!"

Shinichi screamed as a blur of blonde and pink flew out of his front gate and glomped him at high velocity, spotting the silver car in the driveway too late. Ran clamped a hand over her mouth as she started to giggle. Okay, maybe she was feeling a little guilty about _this,_ too.

"I definitely think we need to visit you more often," Yuusaku said dryly, standing in the gateway and watching his wife drag his son back to his feet, alternately hugging him and babbling and apologizing for bumping various wounds. "Ran-kun gave us the bare bones of the past few weeks…"

"Oh she did, did she?" Shinichi said, glaring over his mother's shoulder at Ran, who just giggled harder.

"… but I think we'd just _love_ to hear the full story from your point of view," he continued, winking at Ran, who took that as an opportunity to wave at Shinichi and start heading for her house. She had a call to make, anyway…

"Especially about your _boy-friend_!" Yukiko sang, making Shinichi go bright red and slump. "You have a _lot_ of explaining to do, Shin-chan…"

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"… But Nakamori-kun thinks we can plea-bargain your punishment down to nearly nothing, so _please_ don't mess around, Kaito," Minami pleaded. "I don't want anything to happen to you now… Now after…" she pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes brightening, though she refused to shed any more tears after her first outburst upon seeing him. Kaito gave her a hug.

"Don't worry, Kaa-san," he promised, idly kicking his heel against the cell wall. "I've tried "fugitive" for a couple of weeks and it doesn't really suit me. Too far out of the limelight." He grinned brightly and was rewarded when she laughed a little. "Besides, I promised to stay within the law as soon as Pandora was destroyed and Snake arrested… and both have happened. I figure I'll just chill here for a while."

"… As if your presence here is voluntary," Minami said, giggling a little weakly. Kaito grinned.

"Well, it _is_ me…" Kaito said with a cheeky grin, which made her laugh again. It was a good sound to hear. He'd had enough of making her cry. "I promise I'll be good in court. Shinichi already threatened to find me and fill my hat with fish if I didn't." He shivered violently, a not entirely hammed-up gesture, at the mere _mention_ of the hated creatures.

"Yes, about this "Shinichi"… why don't you tell me all about him?" his mother said with an evil grin. To his mortification, Kaito felt a blush trying to slip past his Poker Face.

"Ah… well…" he was saved by an officer opening the door and nodding to him. He recognized the guy; all of his guards were Task Force only. They didn't trust normal cops to be able to handle him, not without reason. Not that he was trying to escape or anything, but guarding Kaito involved being able to handle finding odd things in your pockets when you got home and not freaking out about how he was getting doves and juggling balls into his cell.

"Kuroba-kun, call for you," he said. "It's a lawyer offering to defend you."

"Can you repeat that again?" Kaito said, blinking at the guy. "I think I went briefly deaf… did you just say someone's _offering _to defend me? Like, actually say I'm _innocent_?"

"I don't know, but she did say to get on the line before she changes her mind," the officer said, rolling his eyes and holding the phone out to Kaito. Kaito darted forward to grab the phone, before returning to his mother's side as he brought the phone to his ear. "Bengoshi-san? Tell me this isn't a prank call."

"_More like a guilt trip,_" a woman's voice said dryly. "_I severely doubt we can plead you innocent, and I don't want to look like an idiot at this stage of my career. However, I'm offering to be the one in charge of plea bargaining your sentence down to as little as possible. Your role in bringing down this criminal syndicate will be a pivotal bargaining chip, as well as the fact that you never actually kept anything you stole, and took down several murderers and a major counterfeiter in the process. For one of the world's most wanted criminals, you have quite a bit going for you. By the way, my name's Kisaki Eri, but you will call me Kisaki-bengoshi or bengoshi-san. If you try your famous "ojou-san" schtick with me, you'll find out just how jaded about men my separation has made me. Also, I'll stop defending you, and trust me when I say that, good guy though you seem to be, you'll be in trouble if all you have is a government defence lawyer._"

"Well, thank you," Kaito said, carefully calculating the charm level. "It will be a pleasure to be defended by you, I'm sure, Kisaki-bengoshi. If you don't mind my asking… why _are_ you defending me? You're a very reputable lawyer, yet you haven't quoted a price…"

"_She's doing it for free because my guilt trip's piggybacking on hers,_" a much younger and more familiar female voice said over the phone, "_so when you get out of there you sure as hell better go straight and give Shinichi no more grief, got it?_"

"Yes ma'am, Ran-san," Kaito said promptly, trying not to choke in surprise.

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"Remember, no jokes, no tricks, no _flirting_ because I won't be able to testify in your favour if they find out we're involved," Shinichi muttered as he and Kaito waited in the group outside the courtroom. "No confetti, no jam, no feathers…"

"Want to strip-search me?" Kaito leered. Shinichi flushed, and Hakuba slapped the thief across the ear. "Ahh! Prisoner abuse!" Kaito screamed, exaggeratedly clutching his "wound" with both handcuffed hands. The police officers, who had begged Shinichi and Hakuba to take a guard shift for the sake of their sanities, all rolled their eyes, one promising Hakuba that he hadn't seen that, nor would he see anything else that happened to the prisoner. Eri just shot Shinichi a disturbingly familiar glare, which indicated that she wasn't going to defend someone who wouldn't _behave_. Shinichi leaned over to Kaito.

"Kaito," he said levelly. "I know the way Eri-san is glaring at you. She used to glare at me like that when I was five years old. That glare promises instant death. And this woman's a good enough lawyer to get herself off on murder charges, so please don't tempt her. For a few hours of your life, for your sake, for your kaa-san's sake, for _our_ sake, please, _behave_." He caught Kaito's eyes- deep, sparkling blue, bordering on violet, leaping with life once more, and saw them grow serious. Kaito nodded.

"Alright, we've _finally_ gotten through the damn journalists and fangirls," Nakamori-keibu growled, stomping down the hall with some members of his Task Force and his daughter in tow. She nodded cordially to Kaito, who offered her a soft, apologetic smile in response. She strode past him to stand next to Hakuba. Kaito sighed sadly.

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The second he walked out of the courtroom, Kaito leapt approximately fifteen feet in the air, whooping loudly, and immediately proceeded to turn the media frenzy outside of the courtroom into a full-on party. Journalists found their notebooks and cameras replaced with rubber chickens and living doves, fangirls found roses in their hair and hands, and all a manner of confetti and smoke popped up everywhere.

"Keep it legal, Kaito," his mother called warningly, grinning broadly nevertheless. He popped next to her and wiped a happy tear off her cheek, providing her with a real red rose. "We're not coming back here."

"Hell, no," Kaito promised. "I'll keep it legal, but you can't make me promise not to be annoying."

"_That _would certainly be too much to hope for," Hakuba sighed. He was banging his head rhythmically against the wall just inside the courtroom. "Just like I suppose it was too much to hope that, given the number of Kaitou Kid fans in this country, there wouldn't be a single one on his jury? Let alone _five_? Two of them judges, for pity's sake!" He started murmuring a number of expletives under his breath in English.

"Well, the fans weren't _all_ of it," Shinichi reassured him. "Eri-san put together a brilliant defence. Bargaining the assistance that Kaito's rendered the law enforcement against the relatively negligible weight of his crimes was a good touch, as well as pointing out that only about a sixth of the total heists were actually committed by Kaito."

"I can't _believe_ that that moron leading the offense hadn't noticed that he was charging the boy with crimes that he would have committed two years before he was _born_," Eri groaned, rolling her eyes and flipping through her file again before placing it back inside her briefcase. "Something about the Kaitou Kid makes everyone a little silly. Like they forget he's merely human."

"He does help to cultivate that image," Shinichi agreed, watching several children in the cheering crowd acquire painted faces at the same time.

"Well, at least you'll be there to keep him on the straight and narrow," Eri sighed, making Shinichi flush a little. "Good luck with that, Kudo-kun. Responsible though I'm sure you are, I can't help but remember that is children, _you_ were the one always getting Ran into trouble, not vice-versa…" Shinichi flushed even darker.

"Shin-chan!" Kaito cheered, sweeping back into the room and sweeping up Shinichi, who squawked in surprise. "Shall we blow this joint? I'm a free man now, baby!"

"Kuroba Kaito!" Shinichi yelled. "You moron, if you don't put me down within the next five-"

Nobody else heard the rest of his words, however, because in a puff of smoke, the boys vanished. Kaito's mother just giggled, smiling softly and happily.

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Hours later, anyone wandering past the Ekoda clock tower might have been able to make out two figures leaning over the balcony several stories up, arms around each other's shoulders and leaning against each other in an almost twincestual manner. They looked tired, a contrast to Kaito's usual cheery and hyperactive demeanour, and Shinichi's usual unruffled manner. They'd dropped the masks entirely.

"Y'know, we first met here," Kaito mused. "Always happens that way with me."

"Well, we didn't exactly _meet_," Shinichi pointed out. "You annoyed the police, I shot at you, you escaped. I never even saw your face. But…" he frowned a little. "I did see your father. From that point I was curious. A ghost jarred with the carefree nature of the thief in front of me, and always left me wondering just how far you took your masks…"

"You always saw him?" Kaito said in an unusually small voice. "He was always there?"

"Always," Shinichi replied softly. "He was always watching over you." Then he grinned. "Made it a helluva lot easier to find you sometimes, though he wised up and developed a tendency to hover in ambiguous places. I could've ordered him to tell me, but I hate giving ghosts orders. It… detracts from them somehow. They're so fragile, it's hard enough as it is for them to hold on to what they are…"

"Thank you," Kaito said softly. "Are they all gone now?"

Shinichi's brow furrowed. "That's the odd thing. Several are still around, claiming that their murderers weren't caught. I know there must still be some members out there… Vermouth, for one. I never saw ghosts around her before, so I never knew that she was like me. I never knew that _anyone_ was like me."

"From what she said," Kaito said thoughtfully, "she knows lots of people like you."

"And if there are others like me," Shinichi said, "there must be information about us somewhere. Records. Stories. Myths. Anything."

"Well then, it's decided!" Kaito said brightly. Shinichi arched an eyebrow questioningly as he glanced at his now-official boyfriend (the internet connection on his phone told him that at least three newspapers had caught snaps of Kaito sweeping him up into his arms). Kaito just grinned. "Well, lots of people take a year out before university, right? So let's do that! We graduate next week- you _did_ pass your catch-up tests, right?" he added thoughtfully. Shinichi nodded with a "duh" roll of his eyes. "So let's take a year out! Travel the world! Look for stuff! I refuse to believe you can't afford it."

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Shinichi mused. "It might be good to get away from everything for a while…"

"Tell me about it," Kaito suddenly sighed heavily, flopping down onto the railing. "I've tried to make up with Aoko, but she's still mad. I think maybe I need to give her some time. And space. Like the planet. Being on the other side of the planet might just be enough space. Hakuba doesn't help."

"Hey, don't worry," Shinichi said, patting Kaito's shoulder consolingly. "I've seen Aoko-san's temper. She'll have to swing a mop at _somebody_ in your absence." That made Kaito laugh. "Besides, I might be in the same boat. Ran's making me meet her for lunch and gossip tomorrow, and I promised to tell her what I've _really_ been doing the past couple of years…"

"Geez, Shinichi, there are better ways to find out who you are than asking Izanami personally," Kaito said, rolling his eyes. That made Shinichi laugh too.

"I'm not sure if Ran'll kill me outright," he chuckled, "or just stop preventing Sonoko and her Kid fanclub from hunting me down…"

If someone had passed the entry to the clock tower about midnight, they might have seen two identical boys sneaking away, still laughing. They still hadn't put the masks back on.

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_This is the final chapter of this fic; next week is the epilogue, with an extra note…_

_Sonoko is our in-universe fangirl, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ :D However, once she realized that Shinichi was stealing her Kid-sama… XDXD_

_All of us thinking "about time", eh, __**Reighost**__? XDXD_

_He definitely would, __**Desperatembrace**__. Hmm, the KaiShin kiss seems to have been the most popular moment of the last chapter. I wonder why…? XDXD_

_Arigatou, __**kittenn1011**__ :)_

_You haven't reviewed before, __**BelieveInFairytales**__, so no, but thank you! Making plot and shipping coincide is a Herculanean task, so I'm glad I managed it :) Everybody loves Fangirl Sonoko XDXD_

_Thanks, __**SecondtoNon!**__ :)_

_This is indeed the last chapter, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__, just the epilogue left… in this fic…_

_We just have to convert more writers to the cause, __**Kayla Edogawa**__! XD Everybody's back where they should be… mostly…_

_I take it you liked the update, __**OnlyIntuition**__? XDXDXD_

_Did you think I would really kill Kaito off, __**Eyeinthesky?**__ ;)_

_Yep, now they both see ghosts, __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__, though there aren't a lot left to see…_

_Glad you enjoyed it, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__ :) Sonoko is our fangirl on deck!_

_I'm back, __**Cat**__! With chapters of win and kissing! :) Glad I've made you like Sonoko, I like her too, as a fellow Kid fangirl XD Everything's good and chipper again :)_

_Everyone loves Sonoko and that scene, __**Teldra**__ :)_

_Sonoko just HAD to be in that scene, __**simply anonymous**__ XDXD Writing the gods was fun too :)_

_Of course, __**Mesonoxian**__! :)_

_Glad you love it, __**Renkin-chan**__! :)_

_Hope you manage to find time for your fics soon, __**Madame of All Manga! **__All is fluff and happiness here :D_

_Kissing is all good now, __**.**__ ;)_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


	39. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_**Only The Beginning**_

"_Everything_ out of your pockets, Kaito," Shinichi said, showing no surprise as seven doves, fifteen roses, three bags of confetti, nine smokebombs, four packs of cards, and assortment of other things appeared from apparently nowhere and went into the tray, though the security guard sitting next to the x-ray machine looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his sockets. "Is all of this legal to have on an airplane?" He murmured more quietly.

"Act like it is and they'll be too shellshocked to ask," Kaito said, never breaking his cheery grin as he strolled through the doorway-shaped machine, which thankfully remained silent. Shinichi followed, making an apologetic nod to the guard, who indeed did look too shocked by the number of things Kaito could fit up his sleeves to want to search them. Kaito had already snatched up the tray as soon as it had come through the machine, and the contents had returned to his coat, as if they had never been there at all. Other travellers were staring. "C'mon, Shinichi! We'll miss the plane!"

"It's not boarding for another forty-five minutes, you fool," Shinichi said, grabbing his bag and strolling past the shops. "And we are _not_ spending that time buying junk food."

"Awww!" Kaito moaned. "But Shiiiiniiiichiii…." He shut up abruptly when Shinichi pulled him over and kissed him.

"No," Shinichi said sternly as he pulled away from the now slightly dazed but happy-looking Kaito. "You're hyper enough without sugar, and I'm not subjecting the other passengers to twelve hours of your kind of chaos. Get a book to read, or a movie to watch on your laptop, or something."

"But what if I get hungry?" Kaito moaned, bouncing back to normal. The kisses were having shorter effect on him these days. Shinichi'd have to try something else before long... "I'll have to eat _airline_ _food_!" Shinichi opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it again. He'd flown to America and back a few times, and he had to admit that there'd never been a thing to eat that he could keep down.

"We'll buy some sandwiches or bento or something," he eventually said. "_Nothing with sugar_."

"Shiiiniiichiii…" Kaito moaned again, bickering all the way to the gate for the flight to Egypt, the first stop on what looked like any other gap year, if maybe a little better-funded. It was a journey of self-discovery, like any year out. If it took them the entire year, or more, if they had to scour the globe to find any trace of what Shinichi was, be it in museums or mythology, they would find it.

Or at least, they'd find something to bring themselves back if their ex-girlfriends still wanted to kill them when they got back…

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Vermouth strolled smoothly out of the uncharted private airplane onto the tarmac of the airstrip that officially did not exist and into the car with the false plates, where a man who also did not exist sat. All around them were those who had once existed and now, in a sense, did not.

"Japan has fallen," Jack said as the car pulled away. Nominally it was a question, but phrased as an answer; you didn't rank as high as they did or find much favour with _her_ if you didn't have answers.

"A terrible loss, one that will take time and patience to recover," Vermouth stated back. The former, all of them had; the latter, most of them did, but _she_ didn't. "The Pandora has been lost as well, along with Whiskey." Jack remained impassive, but his ghosts flinched, unable to restrain the emotions that they channelled from their master. Vermouth resisted the urge to smile; it was so easy to deal with ghostmasters, especially those still so infatuated with their power that they kept ghosts with them at all times.

"A terrible blow," Jack said smoothly. "She will be most displeased."

"I will tell her myself," Vermouth promised, as if she were determined to bear responsibility herself. Really, she just wanted to be alone with _her_- no other agent, ghostmaster or no, would be around, too terrified of _her_ rage. Vermouth could be alone with _her_, could really _talk_ to _her_, to try to bring _her_ back…

"I suppose she is leader now, then," Jack said, after a long silence. Vermouth nodded distantly. "Though she is young, she has power and intelligence enough…"

"_Intelligence, yes,_" Vermouth mused, staring out of the window, "_and power like no other. But in so many ways, still just… can I hope to save her?"_ Her mouth set into a grim line of determination. "_I have to try, while I can… because I know that someday, we'll see _them_ again. And nobody, not even the gods, can predict how the game will change when the Spirit Detective and the Phantom Thief come into play…_"

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_And that's the end of _A Phantom Thief_… and the beginning of the "Spirits" series. Yeah, the storyline began to mutate halfway through, and now a sequel's coming up… some day. I'd rather work on something else first, but rest assured there is much more to this story, and considerably more resolution than happened here…_

_Anyway, my first KaiShin story, and many thanks to those who read, reviewed and enjoyed it! Like I said, the sequel might not happen for a while, but a prologue to it'll appear soon on The Back Burner, along with fractions from other stories I've been starting on, which'll include two non-DC stories, a YuGiOh/Battle Royale crossover and a Pokémon fic. Check 'em out!_

_Glad you loved it, __**Renkin-chan**__! Even court isn't taken seriously around Kaito XDXD_

_Gotta hate the licensers, __**Marie Ravenclaw**__ :( But DCTP's a great place to read and hang out at the forums, so they sure as hell better not take that DX_

_I just love making the boys blush, __**Teldra**__ XD_

_It's done now, __**Ivan's Kitsune**__… but there'll be a sequel someday, no fear ;)_

_Kaito always wins, __**FallenAngelYamiHikari**__. It's a base law of the universe XD_

_This is the Epilogue, __**Kayla Edogawa**__… I wish I knew how much DC was left ;_; And it seems that, on average, 4/7 of the Japanese population are rabid Kid fans XDXD_

_I'm really glad the chapter worked, __**Desperatembrace**__… it worried me more than any other to write X)_

_Well, technically it's finished now, __**Daisuke Kazamatsuri**__, so you could try linking your friend to it XD At least, the story of the development of Kaito and Shinichi's relationship is finished… the sequel will deal with precisely what the hell Shinichi, Vermouth etc are XDXD I'm glad you loved it, and thank you so much for reviewing! _

_Here's the epilogue, __**SecondtoNon**__. Hope you enjoyed!_

_They're going to tear the world apart, __**Mesonoxian**__ ;)_

_I think Sonoko may want to murder Shinichi to get her Kid-sama back, __**Dragon's Hitokiri**__… XDXD_

_Everybody's free and clear, __**OnlyIntuition**__! :D_

_Be as awesome as Eri and you'll have no problem in court, __**GoGothGirl**__ ;) And of course everybody are fans of Kaito XDXD Well, there was your smooching, though the location was a little public for it to be too blatant… yet… ;)_

_Yukiko's awesome, eh, __**Cat?**__ Well, not quite vacation time, more of an investigative gap year._

_Good luck with moving in, __**Madame of all Manga**__! KaiShin makes everything better ;) Yes, the story's over, but there's still the sequel… ;) and cheese isn't evil. Cheese is awesome. ALL HAIL THE CHEESE!_

_It makes me prouder than anything if a non-fan can still enjoy the story, __**Katara Falcon**__, so thank you! :)_

_I'm glad nobody had problems with the skipping of the courtroom scene, __**Eyeinthesky**__ XDXD (aside from the fact that I'd predecided that the jury would be mostly composed of fans, making the scene slightly unnecessary, I have no idea how Japanese court processes work XDXD)_

_I just don't think Hakuba likes people getting away, __**simply anonymous**__ XD Are you kidding? I bet the media's going nuts about it. Famous and cute young male public figures snogging in public. The media won't drop it for ages XDXD_

_Don't be so lazy, __**Tohda**__ XD Besides, I don't like anonymous reviews because then if someone trolls or flames me, I can't get them back or report them for it. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, and no fear, there's more to come!_

I do not own or claim to own Meitantei Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I would be luxuriating in my royalties, not writing fanfic in the back of old maths jotters instead of doing homework. -_-


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